The ancient culture of Egypt has for years been defined by the distinguishing art of their pictures and writings which were referred to as hieroglyphs. It is said that this notion was developed and maintained by the wake of civilization which did develop and maintain their complex art of the written linguistic which was done through the pictures that have held an un diminishing fascination till today. According to one of the distinguished Egyptian Egyptologist formerly on the faculty of Brown University, small fragments of one of the known old remarkable book of the dead of the new kingdom dating between the years 1550-1070 B.C. that only contained one man and his wife.[i] According to his explanation, the small collected pieces reveal the great paintings done during those days with an excellent quality. From the religious aspect, the ancient Egypt used to develop their prayers, spells and even the hymns were included in the pyramid for preservation. Today, some of them have found the ancient curves on the walls that belong to the chambers of the burial places of kings of Dynasties in around 25th and the 22nd centuries.[ii] The political nature of the Egyptian leaders made them to ensure that their legacy continued. They did this through ensuring that their immortality through the addition of the prayers and spells that were engraved to their tomb pyramids. These were basically religious literatures.
This ancient Egyptian art is well defined by the coffin of Nesmin who was one of the Egyptian priests. This coffin shows the brilliant colors with the intricate details that are rich with symbolism[iii]. The coffin of Nesmin is also defined with its smooth surfaced wood and the gesso that is covered by the hieroglyphs, the designs and the depictions that revealed the image of the ancient religious gods and the goddesses. The materials used in the making of the Nesmin coffin are indeed of great and this was to signify the economic status of the fallen hero. The colors used were brilliant indicating the fine economic stability of the fallen hero. The coffin is said to have been made of the brilliant gold used for the face f the nesmin was used to denote not only the riches of he ancient Egypt but the but the financial wellness of the priest and its family. The worn headdress on Nesmin and even the framing on his face also indicated the power and the economy of the priest.[iv] In addition to this, the nesmin coffin was designed with ring around his face which demonstrated the craftsmanship of those that made it.
From the religious aspect in the ancient Egypt, the coffins complexity was used to signify the importance of the priest in the society of the ancient Egypt. More sophisticated burial rituals of this case were only given to powerful people politically in the society like the family of pharaoh. Nesmin in the ancient Egypt was priest of the min, signifying the god of fertility. In the ancient Egypt, the term khonsu was used to identify a moon god and the god of healing. The god of fertility was essential for the life of the Egyptians therefore highly valued among the Egyptian. The two gods in the ancient Egypt showed the high status of high status
[i] Nicholson, Paul et al. Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology. London: Oxford University, 2006, 122-176
[ii] Nicholson, 116-123
[iii] MacKay, John. History of western society. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006.
[iv] Mackay, 23-36
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Bierbrier, Morris. The Tomb Builders of the Pharaohs. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1984, print.
Clarke, Somers. Ancient Egyptian Construction and Architecture. Dover Publications, 1990
Kemp, Barry. Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization. Routledge. 1991, print
MacKay, John. History of western society. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006. Print.
Nicholson, Paul et al. Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology. London: Bantam Books, 2005. Print
Redford, Donald. Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times. Princeton: University
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Teeter, Emily. The Coffin of Nes-Min. Chicago: Toutlegde: 2008
