Hussein, R. B. (2024). The Texts on the Coffin of Ppy-ỉmȝ from Naga ed-Dêr. Translation and Annotation. (S. Beck, ed.). Studien zu altägyptischen Totentexten, 23. Harrassowitz. 146 pp. ISBN 978-3-447-12146-0.
Review by Antonio J. Morales (Universidad de Alcalá)
The coffin of Pepy-Ima, official (iry-pat), treasurer (hetemty-bity), and lector-priest (khery-behet) during the First Intermediate Period, constitutes a rare and illuminating example of early funerary textual traditions in Upper Egypt. This recent publication, based on the MA dissertation by the late Ramadan Hussein submitted at Brown University and edited by Susanne Beck, brings scholarly attention to a corpus of texts from Pepy-Ima’s coffin previously neglected in standard Coffin Text compilations. The study combines transliteration, translation, and analysis of the inscriptions located on the sides and margins of the coffin, offering insight into the iconographic, paleographic, and linguistic features of this transitional period. The study is situated within the broader context of Naga ed-Dêr excavations and the corpus of First Intermediate Period funerary material from this site. The volume can also be considered a tribute to the excellent researcher Ramadan B. Hussein, whose work on the religious texts of the Old and Middle Kingdom, as well as his investigations about Late Period Saqqara tombs and texts have been particularly noteworthy.
The volume opens with a list of abbreviations, followed by a foreword by Edward Brovarski and a preface by the editor, Susanne Beck. Brovarski emphasizes that the main reason for the author to conduct research on this coffin was the lack of scholarly attention to the Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts located on the Back-side (B) and the Front-side (Fr) of Pepy-Ima’s coffin. Brovarski included the coffin in his analysis of the First Intermediate Period evidence from Naga ed-Dêr but limited himself to the horizontal and vertical bands of monumental hieroglyphic inscriptions. Thus, he acknowledges the importance of Hussein’s work in readdressing this imbalance in the knowledge of the religious texts and textual features associated with them. In the editor’s preface, Susanne Beck clarifies that the volume does not include recent bibliography with the exception of Edward Brovarski, Naga ed-Dêr in the First Intermediate Period (Brovarski, 2018) and Ramadan Hussein, “A New Coffin Text Spell from Naga ed-Dêr” in Leonard Lesko’s Festschrift (Hussein, 2008). In this piece, the reviewer will limit himself to a few references that might be of interest in association with the volume.
Chapter 1 (pp. 1-8) introduces the historical and archaeological context of the coffin, discovered by George Reisner in tomb N 4003 during his third campaign at Naga ed-Dêr. After some illicit excavations in the area, Reisner conducted three seasons on the site, one under the Hearst Expedition of the University of California (1901-1905), and two under the sponsorship of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and Harvard University (1910-1912, 1923-1924). From these excavations, it is evident that the most studied materials were the large corpus of funerary stelae (mainly: Lutz, 1927; Dunham, 1937; and Brovarski, 1989). In addition, Reisner also yielded 35 painted wooden coffins, most of them dating to the First Intermediate Period. Interestingly, their decorations and inscribed texts exhibit striking similarities with the stelae both in iconography and paleography, suggesting the possibility that stelae and coffins were produced by the same workshops. Hussein situates Pepy-Ima’s coffin within the wider corpus of painted wooden coffins and stelae from Naga ed-Dêr, Dendera, Thebes, and Gebelein, linking it to the artistic and textual traditions of the Heracleopolitan Period. The coffin itself—made of acacia wood and measuring 192 x 30 x 43 cm—bears an elaborate program of inscriptions in cursive hieroglyphs in both red and black ink, with texts on all four margins and all sides.
The author also offers a valuable discussion on the chronology and early development of the Coffin Texts, summarizing key scholarly positions that span from Schenkel’s attribution of the earliest spells for queen Aashyt (Schenkel, 1962) to Willems’s preference for a later Tenth Dynasty dating (Willems, 1988), exemplified by the coffins of officials under Merikare. The contribution also takes into account Fischer’s references to tombs from the Herakleopolitan period, such as those of Bebi and Men-ankh-Pepy, and notes significant paleographic features—like the use of the first-person suffix and the independent pronoun jnk on the coffin of Ny-ankh-Pepy—that are otherwise only attested in the pyramid of Ibi (Dynasty Eighth). Of particular importance is the inclusion of recent archaeological data, such as Valloggia’s discovery of mummy wrappings for Medunefer at Balat (Valloggia, 1986), pushing the use of such texts potentially back to the late Sixth Dynasty.
The dating and typological placement of Pepy-Ima’s coffin are approached with similar attention to detail. Drawing on both iconographic and paleographic criteria, the author persuasively situates the coffin within the Herakleopolitan Period, aligning it stylistically with the so-called polychrome group of the late Eleventh Dynasty. The non-standard arrangement of scenes and texts—such as the false door positioned at the head end and the granary scene at the feet—deviates notably from Middle Kingdom conventions (Willems, 1988). Furthermore, the presence of traditional hetep-di-nesut formulae, rather than the canonical combination of Nut spells and the invocations to the sons of Horus, Geb, Shu, Isis, and Nephthys, reinforces the coffin’s early, transitional character. Both the titulary and offering imagery—highlighting motifs like sealed wine jars on lotus-decorated stands and the absence of an offering table—further align Pepy-Ima’s burial assemblage with the Herakleopolitan and early Eleventh Dynasty polychrome tradition.
Chapters 2 through 4 (pp. 9-71) present the textual and iconographic contents on the front, back, and margins of the coffin, respectively. The inscriptions include excerpts from Pyramid Texts (PT 25, 32, 34, 36) and Coffin Texts (CT 488–500, 569), in addition to unique, previously unattested spells. These spells were not incorporated into Adriaan De Buck’s Egyptian Coffin Texts seven volumes (De Buck, 1931-1965), in the most recent addition by James Allen on Middle Kingdom Copies of Pyramid Texts (Allen, 2006), or even in the cross-indexes and listings of Thomas Allen (Allen, 1950) and Leonard Lesko (Lesko, 1979). The analysis of each side—and the inscriptions on the margins—combines an introductory description, transliterations, translations, and an analysis of the inscriptions. One notable flaw is the absence of cross-references to the plates included at the end of the volume, which would have significantly contributed to the reader’s navigating the content. The concluding Chapter 5 (pp. 73–74) summarizes the main contributions, while the book concludes with a bibliography (pp. 75–80), glossary (pp. 81–97), indices (pp. 99–108), and color plates (pp. 109–145).
One of the most significant contributions of the publication is its detailed palaeographic and philological analysis of inscriptions that fall outside canonical textual corpora. Hussein convincingly demonstrates that Pepy-Ima’s coffin reflects a hybrid textual tradition rooted in Old Kingdom funerary ideology, yet already engaging with Middle Kingdom Coffin Text developments (pp. 8, 73–74). Paleographic features such as the use of the ligature of the wab hieroglyph without the water jar over the man (a typical feature in the Coptos Decrees and elsewhere during the Herakleopolitan period), the form of the reclining bull, without an advanced foreleg, the rendering of the verb jj in the typical pre-unification writing, the use of the flamingo sign with its neck as lowered to almost the level of its legs, and the linguistic alternation of nj/nn + sḏmw=f are meticulously documented and contextualized. The presence of Old Egyptian stative forms (kj) alongside early Middle Egyptian constructions underscores the transitional character of the corpus.
The offering list is of particular interest. Although the author initially identifies it as a shortened version of Type A (p. 7), he later describes it as a long version type that has been abbreviated to include only 72 offerings (pp. 9 and 34). Furthermore, Hussein rejects Caroline Peck’s suggestion that Naga ed-Dêr offering lists depart from the Memphite traditions (Peck, 1959). Aside from the abbreviated form, the author argues that Pepy-Ima’s offering list generally follows the Memphite typology, although some inconsistencies in the order of the items are also noted.
Textually, the presentation of Pyramid Texts (PT) and Coffin Texts (CT) passages in the Fr-side is rigorous, though it does not follow the arrangement of Middle Kingdom standard coffins. The inclusion of PT spells on the coffin is notable, as this tradition was previously limited to elite Old Kingdom monuments. Hussein’s treatment of the spells, particularly PT 32 with its unusual conclusion (p. 15: TA 2=k bb=k “your two pellets of natron are your bb”), reflects careful philological attention. The author also comments insightfully on the copyist’s liturgical intentions in clustering spells with coherent thematic content (p. 20): “the fact that he arranged the spells in question in one panel suggests an understanding of the coherency and the liturgical purpose of the spells”.
On the other hand, the analysis of the bwt-spell—spell preventing the deceased from consuming excrement and urine in the afterlife—deserves praise for its detailed breakdown by the author into the four traditional thematic sections and the observation of deviations from Doris Topmann’s Abscheu-Sprüche typology (Topmann, 2002). In the author’s words (p. 38), “Pepy-Ima’s spell has its own characteristics, and shares only few features with other bwt-spells from different cemeteries”.
The B-side is richly decorated with several items from the frises d’objets in panels fourth to seventh. Again, the arrangement of the board panels does not conform to any of the types identified for the Middle Kingdom standard coffins (Willems, 1988). The panels with frises d’objets display a bed furniture, a headrest, four usehet-necklaces, oils, two pairs of sandals (one pair white and one black), amulets, cloth bundles, and pellets of incense, all deeply informative for understanding burial assemblages and iconographic programs. Regarding the spells of the B-side, Hussein identifies two bwt-spells: the first one reads in retrograde and the second one, divided into two sections (cols. 29-33 and 34-41), also shows retrograde writing for the first part. Moreover, two more spells appear here: CT 568–569. Hussein only discusses CT 569, though he does not inform the reader that a short-version of spell CT 568, in a pars pro toto or excerpt fashion, appears before its counterpart 569. These spells deserve further investigation, especially given their retrograde orientation and the parallels in El-Bershah and Assiut.
Finally, the inscriptions on the coffin’s margins, unusually written in red and black ink, feature both known and unique texts. Hussein’s comparison with other coffins with marginal inscriptions could have been expanded with texts that also reflect a subsidiary nature (cf. mitre or Fugeninschriften in Grallert, 1996; 2007), but the inclusion of complete transliterations, translations, and commentary is commendable. Unfortunately, there is no way –at this point– to know how many coffins from our collections did actually have inscriptions in their margins. In the case of Pepy-Ima, the coffin bears several spells written in cursive hieroglyphs on the margins of the four sides. The inscriptions, by pair of columns, run from the H-side (CT 496) to the F-side through the front (CT 488-500), with references to the deceased’s ba, akh, shut, and heka. In the B-side one observes the presence of an unparalleled spell. The last part of the series (CT 488) guarantees that the doors of the sky will be opened for the deceased and he will go forth into the afterlife without restriction.
Here I pass on some cases in which I consider that some additional comments might be pertinent. The most important one, I believe, it is that the volume does not include references to the plates, a matter that the editor ought to have addressed to make it easier to analyze the texts in the plates alongside their descriptions in the main text. As for the rest of the comments, the volume contains a series of minor typographical and factual issues that I would like to list here for the reader:
- p. 3: read “for the 1st person suffix singular pronoun”.
- p. 6: “bilateral” should be “biliteral.”
- p. 6, n. 47: it refers to n. 36 but should refer instead to n. 43.
- p. 21: “bottomost” should be corrected to “bottommost”.
- p. 23, n. 144: Klebs’ monograph is incorrectly categorized as an article.
- p. 35: “spelt” should be “spell” or “spelling”.
- p. 36: bwt-spell length is miscounted (12 columns, not 11 columns).
- p. 49: Replace “utelize” with “use” or “utilize.”
- p. 54: “Mannchice” should be “Manniche.”
- p. 58: “piece” should be read instead of “peace”.
The previous comments do not detract from the value of the book, which, I must stress, constitutes a very significant study on the role of the transitional stage in the transmission of textual and iconographic materials from the end of the Old Kingdom into the Middle Kingdom. Our beloved Ramadan Hussein succeeded in the analysis of a very particular coffin with exceptional spells, unconventional arrangements, and yet traditional materials combined in new ways that manifest the relevance of understanding the local idiosyncrasies and traditions in the domain of funerary rituals and beliefs. No doubt, the volume should provide specialists and students with exceptional evidence to be considered in the holistic analysis of the productive and reproductive types of transmission during the First Intermediate Period.
Let this review stand as a modest tribute to the author of the volume, whose tireless work and intense dedication to the religious texts of ancient Egypt mark him as a truly esteemed colleague, who will be missed in the discipline.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, J.P. (2006). The Egyptian Coffin Texts: Middle Kingdom copies of Pyramid Texts. Oriental Institute Publications,132. University of Chicago Press.
Allen, T.G. (1950). Occurrences of Pyramid Texts with Cross Indexes of These and Other Egyptian Mortuary Texts. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization, 27, University of Chicago Press.
Brovarski, E. (1989). The Inscribed Material of the First Intermediate Period from Naga ed-Dêr, II vols [PhD thesis, The University of Chicago]. UMI dissertations.
Brovarski, E. (2018). Naga ed-Dêr in the First Intermediate Period. Lockwood Press.
De Buck, A. (1931-1965). The Egyptian Coffin Texts I-VII. Oriental Institute Publications , 87, 81, 73, 67, 64, 49, 34. University of Chicago Press.
Dunham, D. (1937). Naga ed-Dêr Stelae of the First Intermediate Period. Oxford University Press.
Grallert, S. (1996). Die Fugeninschriften auf Särgen des Mittleren Reiches. Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 23, 147–165.
Grallert, S. (2007). The mitre inscriptions on coffins of the Middle Kingdom: a new set of texts of rectangular coffins? In S. Grallert and W. Grajeztki (eds.), Life and afterlife in ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period (pp. 35–80). Golden House Publications.
Hussein, R.B. (2008). A New Coffin Text Spell from Naga ed-Dêr. In S.E. Thompson and P. Der Manuelian (eds.), Egypt and Beyond. Essays Presented to Leonard H. Lesko upon his Retirement from the Wilbour Chair of Egyptology at Brown University June 2005 (pp. 171–195). Brown University Press.
Lesko, L.H. (1979). Index of the Spells on Egyptian Middle Kingdom Coffins and Related Documents. B.C. Scribe.
Lutz, H.F. (1927). Egyptian Tomb Stelae and Offering Stones of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology of the University of California. J.C. Hinrichs.
Peck, C.N. (1959). Some decorated tombs of the First Intermediate Period at Naga ed-Dêr [PhD thesis, Brown University]. UMI dissertations.
Schenkel, W. (1962). Frühmittelägyptische Studien. Bonner orientalische Studien, 13. Selbstverlag des Orientalischen Seminars der Universität Bonn.
Topmann, D. (2002). Die “Abscheu”-Sprüche der altägyptischen Sargtexte: Untersuchungen und Dialogstrukturen. Göttinger Orientforschung, 4/39. Harrassowitz.
Valloggia, M. (1986). Balat I. Le mastaba de Medou-Nefer, 2 Vols. Fouilles de l’Institut d’Archéologie Orientale, 31. IFAO.
Willems, H. (1988). Chests of life: a study of the typology and conceptual development of Middle Kingdom standard class coffins. Mededenlingen en Verhandelingen van het Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch Genootschap Ex Oriente Lux, 25. Universiteit Leiden Press.
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Ejemplo de citación: Morales, A. J. (2025). Hussein, R. B. (2024). The Texts on the Coffin of Ppy-ỉmȝ from Naga ed-Dêr. Translation and Annotation. (S. Beck, ed.). Studien zu altägyptischen Totentexten, 23. Harrassowitz. 146 pp. ISBN 978-3-447-12146-0. Revista digital de los mundos antiguos (ReDMA), r250705. https://mundosantiguos.web.uah.es/revista/r250705