AePIX_Wahba

Wahba, Afaf,
Department of Bioarchaeology, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Cairo, EG

An intact reed coffin burial from an Old Kingdom cemetery,Southwest of the Step pyramid, Gisr-el- Mudir, Saqqara, Egypt
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71067/AePIX-2025-297-316 
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Aegyptus et Pannonia IX, Acta Symposii anno 2023, objects and Concepts.
Proceedings of the Conference held 19th-20th Januar, 2023, Budapest; ed. by Hedvig Győry.
Published by The Ancient Egyptian Committee of the Hungarian-Egyptian Friendship Society, Budapest 2025.
ISBN: 978-615-6571-04-5 (printed), ISBN 978-615-6571-05-2 (pdf); DOI: https://doi.org/10.71067/AePIX-2025
Soft cover. No Jacket. 1.st Edition. 18+380 pages (24x17), with colour pictures.

Abstract
This paper presents the results of an investigation into an intact reed coffin burial, one of numerous others excavated by the Egyptian archaeological missions. The remains of a male, wrapped in domestic linen and with only a headrest, were found in a small, rectangular niche in the Late Old Kingdom cemetery at Gisr el-Mudir, to the southwest of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara.
Petrie excavated similar reed coffin burials at Tarkhan, but their dating to the Old Kingdom was uncertain. Since then, the publication of several other reed coffins has supported Petrie’s dating to the late Old Kingdom. This burial confirms his dating and contributes to our understanding of the use of this type of coffin. The article also provides further insights into the life, possible occupation and health issues of this man during the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties in Saqqara, through the anthropological investigation of his skeletal remains.