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Coffin set of Pakepu
Wooden coffin set belonging to a man named Pakepu comprising two anthropoid coffins complete with lids and boxes. The coffin set is attributed to Thebes and on stylistic grounds dates to the Late Period (probably the end of the 25th Dynasty). The smaller coffin of the two, known as the inner coffin, nests inside the larger, intermediate one. Both coffins were probably then housed inside a larger, outer 'qersu' coffin.
The coffins are painted and decorated in a colour palette of red, blue, green and two different shades of yellow and bear a range of inscriptions and iconography, many of which are appeals to the gods, especially Osiris, for the provision of food offerings and all good, sweet and delicious things.
The inner coffin interestingly bears a complex layered structure above the wooden carcass made from a combination of fibrous glue, linen and layers of calcite paste, reminiscent of the technique of cartonnage. This association is supported by the presence of a substantial plinth under Pakepu's feet, like those used to attach the footboard in cartonnage coffins.
Wooden coffin set belonging to a man named Pakepu comprising two anthropoid coffins complete with lids and boxes. The coffin set is attributed to Thebes and on stylistic grounds dates to the Late Period (probably the end of the 25th Dynasty). The smaller coffin of the two, known as the inner coffin, nests inside the larger, intermediate one. Both coffins were probably then housed inside a larger, outer 'qersu' coffin.
The coffins are painted and decorated in a colour palette of red, blue, green and two different shades of yellow and bear a range of inscriptions and iconography, many of which are appeals to the gods, especially Osiris, for the provision of food offerings and all good, sweet and delicious things.
The inner coffin interestingly bears a complex layered structure above the wooden carcass made from a combination of fibrous glue, linen and layers of calcite paste, reminiscent of the technique of cartonnage. This association is supported by the presence of a substantial plinth under Pakepu's feet, like those used to attach the footboard in cartonnage coffins.
For more extensive information on this coffin set, refer to the Fitzwilliam Egyptian Coffins online resource - www.egyptiancoffins.org/coffins/pakepu.
Method of acquisition: Given (1869) by Edward (VII), Prince of Wales
Kushite-Late Period
25th Dynasty
26th Dynasty
Circa
-0680
-
Circa
-0664
Outer Coffin Length 209 cm
Inscription present: Intermediate coffin lid - First register, on either side of winged sundisk topped by uraei in the centre.
Inscription present: Twenty vertical columns of inscription, offering formula
Inscription present: 6 columns of text (three either side) flanking the scene of the deceased on a funerary bier, where Anubis is tending to Pakepu. PROPER LEFT
Inscription present: 6 columns of text (three either side) flanking the scene of the deceased on a funerary bier, where Anubis is tending to Pakepu. PROPER RIGHT
Inscription present: Offering formula/owner filiation, written in retrograde
Inscription present: Two areas of text, flanking depiction of mummified Sokar on either side, four columns of text each.
Inscription present: 18 vertical columns of text
Inscription present: Upper part of footboard, flanking Sokar either side, four rows of inscription (carelessly written)
Inscription present: Single band of hieroglyphic text extending around the entirety of the box framed by three horizontal bands of painted decoration above and below
Inscription present: Three lines of horizontal inscriptions
Inscription present: Interior, two small inscriptions situated alongside representation of goddesses Isis (proper right) and Nephthys (proper left)
Inscription present: Inscriptions on lower third of the lid, in six registers, around Abydos fetish
Inscription present: On underside of box, two columns of text on either side of large djed-pillar in centre.
Accession number: E.2.1869
Primary reference Number: 49054
Oldadmincategory: SS
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Antiquities
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Coffin set of Pakepu" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/49054 Accessed: 2025-04-06 01:49:00
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/49054
|title=Coffin set of Pakepu
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-04-06 01:49:00|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-49054
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
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<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/ant/ant47/E_2_1869_a_01_200604_adn21_dc2.jpg"
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class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Coffin set of Pakepu</figcaption>
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