Funerary boats
Boat models were particularly popular in Old and Middle Kingdom tombs. They were used by the owner in the afterlife for a variety of reasons such as travelling the country, making a pilgrimage to holy sites like Abydos, or simply crossing the river. They can also be linked to the journey of gods through the heavens and the underworld.
Funerary boat model
Wood
Middle Kingdom (about 2040 BCE - 1650 BCE)
Provenance unknown
National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden
© National Museum of Antiquities, the Netherlands
The boat below carries the mummy of the dead person under the canopy. On top of the canopy sits a jackal representing Anubis, the god of embalming, who was often seen leading the dead to the afterlife. The function of this style of funerary boat is unknown. It may have been intended to represent the ideal funeral or to be used by the dead person's spirit to make a pilgrimage to Abydos, Osiris' main centre of worship.
Funerary boat model
Wood, plaster, pigments
Middle Kingdom (about 2040 BCE - 1650 BCE)
Provenance unknown
Australian Museum Collection, 1962
© Australian Museum
