Stone Sarcophagus Research Articles

The philosophy of drawings on the ceiling in the royal tombs in the new Kingdom

The ceilings of tombs in the eighteenth dynasty were covered with stars, whether yellow or white, on a blue or black ground, representing the sky, while the tomb of "Siti I" in the early dynasty represented a complete transformation in inscriptions, as it is the first cemetery fully engraved with colorful reliefs from the entrance to the wall Behind the stone sarcophagus, and in contrast to the decoration of the Seti tomb on the walls, we find that the ceilings are painted, not carved The ceiling of the burial chamber also contains astronomical scenes before the tomb of "Ramses III." These scenes consisted of the names and pictures of the constellations, and then included scenes from the books of heaven (the Book of Notes, the Book of Day, the Book of Night). . . In sum, there were many astronomical drawings that covered the ceilings of tombs and coffins in the modern state. The artist was often striving to show his artistic and creative touch that characterizes his art despite the stereotypical religious subjects, which he was obliged to depict and to repeat some of the elements necessary to show the subject of embodiment We find repetition of elements such as the female hippopotamus (Tarot), the bull, the lion, the various crocodiles, and the Horus falcon. However, the artists often had to make adjustments to suit the prevailing spatial conditions and artistic tools, such as the size of the tomb ceiling and the general decoration of the target area. For example, “Vibujar” and “Parker” proved that the artist who created the astronomical ceiling of the cemetery “Sinnamut” in Deir al-Bahari had developed his image From an old and popular model, but then gave way to artistic license so that a balanced scene is achieved that added to the spatial limits of the tomb ceiling, as there is no doubt that the main inspiration behind the astronomical drawings on Egyptian ceilings in tombs or on top of coffins is that the sky itself was a source Inspiration for the artist from an early age And that all these astronomical drawings that were found on the ceilings of tombs or the ceilings of coffins were placed there because they were considered of vital and functional importance to the rituals of the dead king and his transition to heaven, according to the religious beliefs of the Egyptians. Where the religious texts indicated, where the funerary religious texts indicated that the destination of the afterlife for the dead king was to be among the stars in the circle of the celestial constellations with the gods who would become one of them

Installation of stainless metal reinforcements in stone cultural monuments

Objective: To provide examples of the installation of stainless-steel reinforcements in a stone cultural monument as part of conservation and restoration work. Methods: During conservation and restoration works, metal elements in stone monuments are replaced by stainless steel, which shares the same physical properties as, for example, iron, but its chemical properties are much superior. Estimates of appropriate reinforcement, technical drawings and a detailed plan are drafted before the installation of stainless-steel reinforcements in the stonework itself. For more demanding calculations and designs, structural and other engineers and architects were consulted to obtain the optimal dimensions of structural elements. Results: The presented examples of stone monuments (an ancient stone sarcophagus, two ancient sculptures, one medieval portal, two baroque baptismal fonts and a baroque bell gable) were reinforced with stainless steel. A reinforcing mesh was utilized to connect fragments of the sarcophagus and reconstruct the missing parts. The sculptures were found in fragments and required steel reinforcement to be set up in a free-standing position. The baptismal fonts were also found in fragments due to the corrosion of their iron clamps; they were furnished with a detachable, externally invisible steel reinforcement. The medieval portal was at risk of collapse due to the static instability caused by the rupture of its load-bearing lintel. The lintel was reinforced with a steel bar, which absorbs compression forces acting on the stone superstructure. The baroque bell gable was a prime example of a monument damaged by its iron clamps. These were completely removed and the structural stability was secured by embedding a reversible steel structure in the stonework. Conclusion: Good physical and chemical properties make stainless steel the basic material in the reinforcement of stone cultural monuments. Its application in the conservation and restoration of stone monuments is currently the best and most efficient solution for restoring sustainable structural stability, original appearance and optimal positioning of monuments, as well as preventing further deterioration.

Image, Body, and Simulation of the Afterlife in the Early Medieval Sarcophagus of Prince Yuan Mi

Abstract Dated to 524 ce, the lavishly carved stone sarcophagus of the Northern Wei Prince Yuan Mi exemplifies an early Chinese method using a diagonal gaze as a visual device to construct a three-dimensional space. On the exterior faces of the sarcophagus, the anonymous artist simulated a three-layered space, imagining the deceased's wooden coffin (the inner layer) contained in his burial chamber (middle layer), which in turn is embraced by a complex three-dimensional natural and supernatural world (the outer layer). In the middle layer, eight figures cast a slant gaze from behind four windows at filial paragons dwelling in the outer layer. This gaze was used as a rhetorical device to bridge the physical and psychological gap between the gazers and those upon whom they gaze. Evoking the idiom found in medieval Chinese texts of “watching the ancients as neighbors,” the artist defined the deceased as a neighbor of the ancient filial paragons who dwell in an ideal landscape as recluses. In addition to the visual analysis of the sarcophagus, this article also examines the epitaph buried along with the sarcophagus. While the carving praises the private virtue of the dead, the text paints another rosy picture of the deceased prince as a good official. Eventually, the image and text were used in tandem to create a perfect image of the deceased.

Trans-Asiatic exchange of glass, gold and bronze: analysis of finds from the late prehistoric Pangkung Paruk site, Bali

Abstract

The return of the ancient papyrus: the discovery and fate of the ancient Greek papyrus from Mangalia (Romania)

On the west coast of the Black sea excavations of ancient cities have been conducted for more than a century and a half. Among them, a special place is considered to be the Dorian colony of Kallatis, founded by immigrants from Heraclea of Pontius, most likely in the VI century BC. Currently on its territory there is a Romanian city of Mangalia. In 1959, during the excavations of the ancient mound on the Hellenistic burial ground, an ungraded burial in a stone sarcophagus was discovered. It was a backbone of an adult with a gilded bronze wreath. Near his hands there was an ancient Greek papyrus. For his conservation a Soviet restorer M. Alexander was invited, he managed to preserve the rarity. At the request of the Romanian side, he took the papyrus for restoration to Moscow, where his traces were lost. In 2001, Romanian archaeologists began searching for the papyrus. After three years of work in museums and libraries, they were able to locate the rest of the scroll. It turned out that they are stored in the Center of restoration Grabar in Moscow. As a result of the negotiations, thanks to the good will of the Russian side, it was possible to reach an agreement on the return of a unique discovery for Romania to its historical homeland.

Wahibreemakhet at Saqqara

Summary The case of Wahibreemakhet, son of Alexikles and Zenodote, is the most prominent example for the high status that Greeks – as mercenaries or advisors – could attain in Egypt under the Saite pharaohs. The present article argues that his final resting place should be identified in a tomb at Saqqara that was probably discovered by agents of Giovanni Anastasi in the 1820s and that contained not only Wahibreemakhet’s elaborate stone sarcophagus (now in Leiden), canopic jars (in Stockholm) and shabtis (in various collections), but also a set of limestone tomb reliefs recording spells from the Book of the Dead that are today in the collection of the British Museum and that were once erroneously attributed to ‘Campbell’s tomb’ at Giza. Wahibreemakhet’s rich burial, dating to the decades around 600 BC, and his ranking title ‘Royal Sealer’ illustrate both his social status and his assimilation to Egyptian culture.

Finding Hama: On the Identification of a Forgotten Queen Buried in the Nimrud Tombs

Finding Hama: On the Identification of a Forgotten Queen Buried in the Nimrud Tombs

The sarcophagus with teaching scenes of the ancient collection Casa-Loring in the estate of "La Concepción" in Málaga

This essay briefly analyses a stone sarcophagus decorated in the front with fluted pilasters with capitals and containing a pair of bearded and another one beardless characters holding uolumina. This sarcophagus is kept in the Marquises of Casa-Loring, Jorge Loring and Amalia Heredia, archaeological collection, located in the very heart of the beautiful tropical garden "La Concepción" in Málaga, during the second half of the XIX Century, which also holds an archaeological museum (The Loring Museum) inside a Doric-style temple. The above mentioned sarcophagus produced in fourth-century local workshops was found near Puente Genil (Córdoba).

Patriarch Nikon’s Alabaster Sarcophagus

The article examines mineralogical research of the stone sarcophagus and the tombstone of Patriarch Nikon (who died in 1681) from the Resurrection Cathedral of New Jerusalem Monastery. Study samples were received during excavations conducted by a team from the Institute of Archeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, in 2012. Relevant material was identified as gypsum (alabaster), corresponding to its mention in Patriarch Nikon’s hagiography. Two possible source areas in Russia are beds in the region of Arkhangel’sk and Nizhnii Novgorod, historically connected to the Patriarch’s life.

Unearthed: recent archaeological discoveries from northern China

In recent decades archaeological discoveries across northern China have brought to light unexpected and significant works of extraordinary beauty. These artifacts express the dynamic changes taking place in this region from the fifth to eleventh century, helping to redefine our understanding of ancient Chinese cultures. Unearthed showcases recently excavated artifacts from Shanxi and Gansu provinces, many of which have never been exhibited outside China. These objects range from fantastical tomb guardian-beasts, to luxury goods reflecting the lucrative Silk Road trade, to objects designed for religious or ritual purposes, to a magnificent stone sarcophagus in the shape of a traditional Chinese house. Detailed essays discuss tradition and innovation in Chinese art; China's interactions with the outside world through trade and invasion; artistic techniques and styles; and cultural traditions. The acquisition of the artifacts is contextualized within the major developments in Chinese archaeology over the past hundred years, with particular attention to the intense periods after 1950 and its status today.

Forensic archaeoentomology—An insect fauna from a burial in York Minster

An insect fauna associated with the medieval burial of Archbishop Greenfield, interred in December 1315 in a lead coffin within a stone sarcophagus beneath the floor of York Minster, is examined and compared with the limited entomological data from other medieval burials. The implications of the archaeoentomological data are discussed. The fauna is dominated by the so-called coffin beetle Rhizophagus parallelocollis and the generalised staphylinid predator Quedius mesomelinus, together with a number of subterranean fungal feeders. The beetle assemblage is probably immediately post burial, and the lead coffin in the case of Greenfield had not been able to shield the body from decay.

Adipocere withstands 1600 years of fluctuating groundwater levels in soil

An extraordinarily well-preserved skeleton of a child, interred in a stone sarcophagus in the Late-Roman era, was discovered in the city of Mainz (Germany) in 1998, covered with a puff pastry-like substance assumed to be adipocere. It is the first time that this substance, which is derived from fat under oxygen-deficient conditions and prevents corpses from decaying, has been discovered on corpses buried under conditions described in the present paper. The body was buried at groundwater level (2.9 m below surface) in a moist zone close to the Rhine that was affected by seasonally fluctuating groundwater levels. The fluctuating groundwater levels would appear to have had an effect on the degradation of the interred body. The discovery of the skeleton gave us an excellent opportunity to examine fatty acid material which had been subjected to prolonged fluctuating aerobic and anaerobic conditions in a moderate environment. The body's fatty acid composition and 13C abundance were determined and compared with modern adipocere values. Element analysis of the stone sarcophagus in which the child was buried provided information on the burial environment. Our findings indicate that fatty material must have been converted into adipocere under anaerobic conditions in periods of high water levels, leaving the material open to decay during periods of low water levels. The fact that the excavated body was still covered with adipocere 1600 years after the burial clearly shows the robustness of the material against decay.

From limestone caves to concrete graves: 3000 years of mortuary practice in the Palauan archipelago, Micronesia

AbstractHuman skeletal remains have been discovered from a variety of contexts in the Palauan archipelago of western Micronesia. These include caves, rockshelters, earthen mounds, stone platforms, midden burials, crypts, sarcophagi, and historic period gravesites. Recent excavation of a prehistoric cemetery in a rockshelter on Orrak Island dating from ca 1000 BC–AD 200, combined with nearly contemporaneous surface finds in caves on both Orrak and other nearby islands, shed light on the earliest known burial practices in Palau. Interment in limestone caves and rockshelters was then replaced in succession by burial in earthwork terraces, beneath stone platforms, in middens, within limestone slab crypts and at least one known stone sarcophagus, and finally in Western or Asian‐style gravesites with headstones. Here we present the first major synthesis of mortuary patterns in Palau from the earliest periods of known settlement (ca. 1000 BC) to modern times. Understanding how these burial practices change over time provides valuable insight into changing sociocultural practices within Palauan society, including how contact with outsiders during the historical period drastically altered traditional mortuary behaviours. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Sogdian Caravan as Depicted in the Relieves of the Stone Sarcophagus from Shi’s Tomb of the Northern Zhou

Article The Sogdian Caravan as Depicted in the Relieves of the Stone Sarcophagus from Shi’s Tomb of the Northern Zhou was published on January 1, 2006 in the journal Chinese Archaeology (volume 6, issue 1).

Autopsy on the mummy of "Fin-Renard", Bourges (France)

Discovered in 1908 in a lead coffin conserved in a stone sarcophagus, the mummy of the “Fin-Renard” from Bourges, central France, was immediately identified as that of a gallo-roman child. The circumstances of his death as the extraordinary conservation of his body were the object of many conclusions related to contemporaneous medicohistorical knowledge and limited by partial investigation potentiality. The preparation of the exhibition Maternité et petite enfance dans l’Antiquité Romaine” (“Maternity and childhood in Roman Antiquity”) presented at the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle at Bourges in 2003/2004 necessitated the reexamination of the body. The application of the most actual paleopathological methods and techniques permitted a more precise observation of this unique but surprising French specimen. However, after many radiographic, scannographic, fibroscopic and microscopic studies, the little mummy conserves many of its mysteries

Stone sarcophagus manufacture in ancient Egypt

Experimental work on the techniques for making stone sarcophagi demonstrate how a variety of tools, material and drilling methods were employed in ancient Egypt

L'ermite et la mort durant le haut Moyen Age

The questions raised by hermits in their relation with the world consist in knowing whether their presence in cemeteries is that of mere caretakers or that of organizers of the good death, creating thus the community of the living and the dead. As early as the Vth-VIth centuries the martyr's bloody offering for the conversion of the Barbarians tended to be rapidly replaced by the near vicinity of their cells in l'Isle-Aumont, Marville, Nivelles and Fuchaux, serve as focus for the community and integrate death to life. They make the stone sarcophagus into new baptismal fonts in which, with some humour, they lie after having washed and got dressed. Death is active, public and singing. In the VHIth century a more anxious death, marked by confession, appears among the Vosges hermits and those who had assumed episcopal functions. Boniface's authoritarian methods brought about a pessimistic clericalisation of death until the IXth-Xth centuries.

On the Ancient Sculptured Monument discovered at St Andrews, in 1833

This article describes a stone sarcophagus discovered beneath St. Andrew's Cathedral in 1833. The author notes that although illustrations of the sarcophagus were made when it was unearthed, little care was taken to properly excavate or preserve it after that. He argues that the monument was probably displayed prominently, based on its elaborate carved design, so it must have been interred before the 12th century construction of the Cathedral. He therefore argues that this and other similarly designed object should be dated to the early medieval period, although he does acknowledge that he has access to very little knowledge of this time period.