Inner Coffin & Lid Of Tentkhonsu

From card: "On floor, the deceased in presence of Osiris. She-God with double head, ram & crocodile. Dr. L. Bull, Met. Mus., New York, identifies this as probable inner coffine of # 154953 since it has same titles & name. He says "On floor is the goddess of the West, her headdress surmounted by a falcon wearing the atef crown." XXI Dynasty. Exhibit, Hall 26, 1976." 1978 NMNH slide set caption: "Inner coffin and lid, wooden, painted with hieroglyphs and ritual scenes, 3-dimensional portrait head at top, belonged to Tenet-Khonsu, chantress of Amon-Ra, Egyptian, Thebes, 21st Dynasty, ca. 1000 B.C." See also Catalogue No. 154953, which is outer coffin and lid of Tentkhonsu. Note re photos: Negative # 78-8766 is frontal, lt, overview. 78-8767 is 3/4, lt, overview, shows detail of head. 78-8768 is profile, lt, detail. 78-8769 is frontal, lt overview of both Cat. # 154953 and 154954, the inner and outer coffins and lids.

From NMNH Exhibit Hall "Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt" label for this artifact, 2011: Inner coffin of Tentkhonsu, 1025-980 B.C. Tentkhonsu's coffin set included this inner coffin, as well as an outer coffin and a board (A154953) to protect the mummy. The set was one of 153 burials from Bab el-Gasus, a tomb chamber in Deir el-Bahari where Egyptians moved the coffins and mummies of elite 21st-dynasty families. The lid presents an idealized portrait of Tentkhonsu. Tentkhonsu's mummy has never been identified. Tentkhonsu means "She who belongs to the god Khonsu" - a name that shows she came from an elite Theban family that staffed the city's temples. She sang at festivals, and, like most Egyptian women, probably married by 14 and ran a household. If she reached age 40, she would have outlived many of her contemporaries. Tentkhonsu's coffin was designed to guide her past the dangers of the Netherworld. The coffin interior tells the story of Tentkhonsu's spiritual passage from the Netherworld to rebirth. The scenes on the coffin exterior wrap around Tentkhonsu, providing knowledge and protection for the journey ahead. The coffin's exterior paintings shield the mummy with magic spells and scenes of her journey to rebirth.

Additional color digital negative #s: NHB2011-01632 through NHB2011-01641; 2003-29027 through 2003-29051; 2003-31596 through 2003-31613.

1 Apr 2025

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