This is the coffin of the "Chantress of Amun," and it dates c. 1070-945 BCE or Egypt's Third Intermediate Period (c. 1070-712 BCE). It is made of wood with a painted gesso relief. Ancient Egyptian coffins sheltered remains and provided a home for the deceased's life force, the "ka," as well as the individual's personality, or "ba." The ka and ba rejoined each day at dawn when the sun rose and Osiris, the god of the afterlife, was resurrected. The coffin's interior is adorned with protective spells and figures referencing the gods to ensure safe passage into the afterlife. (Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University, Stanford, California)
