Public experience

Coffin of Ankh-Khonsu

Egypt (Thebes) Dynasty 22, 945–712 BC Painted wood Gift of Theodore M. Davis Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East 1902.50.9 Ankh-khonsu was a doorkeeper in the Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak. He inherited his position from his father Ankh-en-amun. His brightly painted coffin lid is covered with images of protective deities. Particularly prominent are winged scarab (dung) beetles, symbols of rebirth. One sits on Ankh-khonsu’s head and encircles his face with its wings. A second scarab covers his chest. Both scarabs hold a shen hieroglyph, symbol of eternity, with their hind legs in place of a dung ball. Offering spells including Ankhkhonsu’s name are written on the outside of his coffin. Traces of resins (now black) and water poured over it during his funeral are visible on the top and sides of the coffin.