Sarcophagus of Hapmen (664-525 BC)

3D Model

Scanned @ British Museum

Plaque Reads:

All surfaces bear the figures of gods and funerary texts. Near the head end, one side displays a false door with eyes, allowing the spirit free movement and sight. A spell from the Book of the Dead was thought to help it ‘come forth by day’. The central figure on the long side (one jackal-, one human-headed) is Anubis, the god of mummification. The Sons of horus at the corners, had to guard Hapmen’s organs. The goddess Isis mourns at the foot end, as does her sister Nephthys on the head end (not visible). Many more deities appear inside. The floor displays the Sky Goddess Nut, who embraced Hapmen’s mummy so he could join the everlasting sun and stars. Remarkably, the figures were copied from the sarcophagus of Thutmose III, a king of enduring fame who died 1,000 yrs. earlier. Hapmen, a treasurer, lived at a time of proud historical awareness. Thutmose’s tomb in Thebes had already lain open for centuries, ever since priests had reburied him & other royals in a cache.