Recycling for death.

In 1881, a remarkable discovery took place in Luxor, Egypt. In the hills of Deir el-Bahari, a secret tomb held the reburied mummies of Egypt’s famous pharaohs. Figures like Sety I, Ramesses II, Thutmose III, and Amunhotep I lay in rest, in carefully hidden coffins. However, the caskets themselves hold many secrets, which today’s guest has spent years exploring.

Prof. Kara Cooney (UCLA) presents Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches. https://aucpress.com/9781649031280/recycling-for-death/. A meticulous study of the social, economic, and religious significance of coffin reuse and development during the Ramesside and early Third Intermediate periods, illustrated with over 900 images. Part of the UCLA Coffins Project https://arce.org/project/ucla-coffins-project/.

Available via AUC Press https://aucpress.com/9781649031280/recycling-for-death/. 

Kara Cooney’s website: https://karacooney.squarespace.com/. 

The Deir el-Bahari cache and the royal coffins & mummies: 

Coffin of Sety I https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/coffinofsetii. Possible evidence of its origin as a queenly coffin via Dr. Peter Lacovara https://peterlacovara.com/portfolio/coffin-conundrum/. Interview with Dr. Lacovara on this topic forthcoming in the near future.

Daressy, G. (1909). Cercueils des cachettes royales: Nos 61001-61044. https://archive.org/details/DaressyCercueils1909. 

Maspero, G., & Brugsch, É. (1881—1887). La Trouvaille de Deir-el-Bahari, 2 vols. https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/maspero1881bd1 and https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/maspero1887bd2. 

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Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.

Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.

This episode of The History of Egypt Podcast was sponsored by Better Help. Try online therapy at betterhelp.com/EGYPT.

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Bibliography

  • Bacon, E. Ed. (1976). The Great Archaeologists: The Modern World’s Discovery of Ancient Civilisations as Originally Reported in the Pages of The Illustrated London News from 1842 to the Present Day.
  • Cooney, K. (2024). Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches. https://aucpress.com/9781649031280/recycling-for-death/
  • Cooney, K. M. (2018). Coffin Reuse in the 21st Dynasty: A Case Study of the Bab el-Gasus Coffins in the Egyptian Museum of Florence. In K. M. Cooney, C. Guidotti, R. Sousa, C. Greco, M. Zarli, & D. Vannucci Eds., The Tomb of the Priests of Amun: Burial Assemblages in the Egyptian Museum of Florence pp. 492–514. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004386501_081
  • Cooney, K. M. (2021). Coffin Commerce: How a Funerary Materiality Formed Ancient Egypt. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108913881
  • Daressy, G. (1909). Cercueils des cachettes royales: Nos 61001-61044. https://archive.org/details/DaressyCercueils1909
  • Forbes, D. (1992). Cache DB320: Tomb Robbers Find Royal-Mummy Hoard in 1871. KMT, 3, 22–29, 86.
  • Graefe, E., & Belova, G. (2006). The Royal Cache TT 320: New Investigations 1998, 2003 and 2004. Annales Du Service Des Antiquités de l’Égypte, 80, 207–220.
  • Maspero, G., & Brugsch, É. (1881). La Trouvaille de Deir-el-Bahari: Vol. I. https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/maspero1881bd1
  • Maspero, G., & Brugsch, É. (1887). La Trouvaille de Deir-el-Bahari: Vol. II. https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/maspero1887bd2
  • Reeves, N. (1990). Valley of the Kings: The Decline of a Royal Necropolis.
  • Reeves, N., & Wilkinson, R. H. (1996). The Complete Valley of the Kings.
  • Thomas, E. (1966). The Royal Necropoleis of Thebes.
  • Weeks, K. R. (2005). The Treasures of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.