Sarcophagus of Mindjedef

Sarcophagus of Mindjedef

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mindjedef, who lived during the mid- to late 4th Dynasty, was buried in a large tomb on the east side of Khufu's pyramid. This red granite sarcophagus was found in the badly disturbed burial chamber, with a dismembered skeleton laid on top of its lid. The outstretched body would have likely been placed directly inside this stone coffer, perhaps laid on his left side and wrapped in linen covered with a layer of plaster in which his limbs and face would have been molded, as was the practice for the elite during this period. The lugs on the end of the sarcophagus lid would have been used to lower it into place. The inscription just below the lip of the box is an offering prayer asking that the king, acting through the mortuary god Anubis, give offerings to the deceased, who is referred to here as "hereditary prince, sealer of Lower Egypt, king's son, Mindjedef."

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.