Join us on Wednesday, October 30th for a virtual book talk on Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches, 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 (AUC Press, 2024). AUC Press is delighted to host the author, Kara Cooney, a renowned Egyptologist, professor of Egyptology, and chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA.
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Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches
Funerary datasets are the chief source of social history in Egyptology, and the numerous tombs, coffins, Books of the Dead, and mummies of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Dynasties have not been fully utilized as social documents, mostly because the data of this time period is scattered and difficult to synthesize. This culmination of fifteen years of coffin study analyzes coffins and other funerary equipment of elites from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-second Dynasties to provide essential windows into social strategies and adaptations employed during the Bronze Age collapse and subsequent Iron Age reconsolidation.
Many Twentieth to Twenty-second Dynasty coffins show evidence of reuse from other, older coffins, as well as obvious marks where gilding or inlay have been removed. Innovative vignettes painted onto coffin surfaces reflect new religious strategies and coping mechanisms within this time of crisis, while advances in mummification techniques reveal an Egyptian anxiety about long-term burial without coffins as a new style of stuffed and painted mummy was developed for the wealthy. It was in the context of necropolis insecurity, economic crisis, and group burial in reused and unpainted chambers that a complex, polychrome coffin style emerged. . . . Read more
Praise for Recycling for Death
“Kara Cooney is the expert on coffin reuse, and in this book she brilliantly synthesizes fifteen years of research. After giving a detailed introduction into the social and religious reasons behind why coffins were reused, how they were acquired, and what was done to them, she focuses on the coffins used to house the New Kingdom royal mummies and the High Priests of Amun. Known since the last years of the nineteenth century, they have, until now, generally been ignored by modern scholars, quietly gathering dust, waiting for Kara, the one person who could do them justice. The result is a superb book, an absolute gem for specialists and students alike, abundantly illustrated in full color throughout, by an excellent scholar at the height of her powers.”—David Aston, The Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna
“Kara Cooney’s long-awaited book on coffins explains how and why these objects, crucial for the protection, rebirth, and resurrection of the deceased were used and then often recycled and reused for both kings and commoners. The detailed discussions, lavishly illustrated, make for fascinating reading, providing an insight into the economic, social, religious, and cultural life of the ancient Egyptians. A must-have for anyone interested in ancient Egypt.”—Salima Ikram, The American University in Cairo
About the Author:
Kara Cooney is a professor of Egyptology and chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA. Specializing in social history, gender studies, and economies in the ancient world, she received her PhD in Egyptology from Johns Hopkins University. In 2005, she was co-curator of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Her popular books include The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt, When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt, and The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World. Her latest academic book is Ancient Egyptian Society: Challenging Assumptions, Exploring Approaches.
