Mummification and Coffins

The Egyptians preserved their bodies so that their ka - one aspect of a person’s whole, serving as a life-force or double - had a place to rest after death.

Once the embalming process was complete, the mummy was placed in a coffin. Across Egyptian history, coffins were decorated in different ways: some were simple, rectangular wooden boxes, painted with invocations. The more elaborate anthropoid coffins were made in the shape of the deceased, and could be covered with religious spells.

In Roman times, mummy labels were often attached to the mummy by a cord; these provided basic information about the deceased. The mummy’s feet could be placed in a foot case for added protection.