Burial Equipment of rishi Coffins and the Osmosis of the "Rebirth Machine" at the end of the Middle Kingdom

This paper aims to cast light on the transitional phase between the late Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period (1800-1550 BC), when the first anthropoid coffins were introduced in Egypt. Although originally conceived as the innermost element of a set of box-shaped coffins, the anthropoid coffin independently evolved into a new type decorated with stylised feathers, now known as rishi (‘feathered’). The passage from rectangular to anthropoid coffins was far from being a linear process. Following an approach used by Ernesto De Martino in anthropology, the topic has been addressed from a more pragmatic angle, isolating ritual and religious aspects in favour of socio- economic and political perspectives. The introduction of a new model for coffins has been considered in the context of questions of the social identity of coffin producers, craftsmanship, types of material employed, and political events. Together with the appearance of the rishi coffin type during the Second Intermediate Period, the composition of burial equipment and the structure of the tomb underwent a profound transformation. In the majority of the preserved burials of the Late Middle Kingdom, funerary equipment had focussed on rebirth themes, stressing an equation between the destiny of the deceased and either the fate of Osiris/king (Osirification regalia) or the condition of the newborn child (faience figurines, ivory tusks). During the Second Intermediate Period — and closely associated with the appearance of rishicoffins — other ranges of objects began to be placed in the burial, including containers, furniture, game/leisure objects, garments and weapons, while objects focussed on rebirth seem to have completely disappeared. Nevertheless, the theme of rebirth did not suddenly vanish: rather, the iconography of rishi coffins shows how it had simply moved from objects to the coffin itself, a pattern of osmosis between different media.