Egyptian Coffins Project

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The Fitzwilliam Museum shares the results of its in-depth study of its ancient Egyptian coffins collection in a new website.

The Egyptian Coffins Project, features high-resolution images, films, virtual models and technical reports of the construction and decoration of coffins.

The Fitzwilliam team of Egyptologists, conservators, scientists and experts in ancient woodwork, have worked collaboratively for over five years.

By also using advanced scientific imaging and non-invasive heritage science techniques, they have produced a new holistic understanding of not just the ancient Egyptian coffins but also the people who were buried in them and the artisans and craftsmen who made them.

Associate Curator, Egyptian Antiquities and project lead Helen Strudwick said:

“The Egyptian Coffins project is about real people rather than weird gods that sometimes appear on ancient Egyptian coffins. We’re looking at the people who made the coffins, the construction of them and what we’ve found out about the people for whom they were made. We’re offering a whole new perspective on Egyptology.”

It’s hoped that the website will become a portal into Egyptian coffin projects around the world, giving researchers the opportunity to compare their results with those of the Fitzwilliam team.

The website launch is accompanied by the Egyptian Coffins Project ‘Pop-Up’ museum, an outreach initiative supported by the University of Cambridge’s Arts and Humanities Impact Fund. This series of events takes pace in secret locations in and around Wisbech. The dates are fixed but the team are keeping the pop-up locations a secret to give the event an element of surprise!

The plan is to use social media and ‘the word on the street’ to publicise the venues as they arise. A few of the March dates have already popped-up and gone but look out on Thursday 21, Tuesday 26 and Thursday 28 March 2019 for more. Or plan a day out shopping, in Wisbech, during May or June and you could find yourself face to face with some of the Museum’s ancient Egyptian objects, or learning about ancient woodworking techniques, or participating in a make your own Egyptian paintbrush workshop.

For more information go to The Egyptian Coffins website: www.egyptiancoffins.org