Used, reused, plundered and forgotten: a rare group of early Ramesside coffins from tomb MIDAN.05 in the Theban necropolis

This paper aims at presenting the most significant coffin fragments found in one of the shafts (P3) of Dynasty 18 tomb MIDAN.05 at Dra Abu el-Naga in the Theban Necropolis. The large amount of coffin and wooden pieces (mainly coming from the room M, cut on the eastern side of P3) includes masks, foot-ends and foot-boards, feet, hands, parts of wigs and collars, and various other small elements. These fragments fall within the framework of the yellow-type coffin, well attested in the Ramesside period. Notwithstanding their backgrounds painted in yellow (from a vivid warmer colour to a lighter cream nuance), their sober decoration organised in compartments between text-bands and the foot-ends with sculpted feet provide a solid base for a more precise dating, being characteristic of a rarely attested transitional period between late Dynasty 18 and the beginning of Dynasty 19. Moreover, an archaeological context completely undisturbed in modern times for room M shows how these early Ramesside coffins had originally occupied an earlier burial space (early-mid Dynasty 18), probably reusing also earlier coffins (with carved inscriptions) and later they were in turn re-used, plundered, and discarded in a corner of the room. The last action of segregation aimed at creating a new burial space, housing some other burials (wrapped in reed-mats), which were installed at the bottom of the shafts, partially obstructing the entrance to room M.