26th Dynasty sarcophagus
- Gallery: Room 4
- Culture: 26th Dynasty
- Date: 600BC (circa)
- Object type: sarcophagus, bath-tub, religious/ritual vessel
- Materials: granite
- Museum number: EA23
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you stands a sarcophagus from Egypt’s 26th Dynasty, dating to around 600 BC. Carved from grey granite, it features intricate relief figures of deities central to Egyptian funerary beliefs. You can see Isis, Nephthys, the Sons of Horus, and Anubis, along with powerful wedjat-eyes—symbolic of protection and healing. Outlined text in hieroglyphs records the name and titles of the deceased, derived from Chapter 72 of the Book of the Dead.
Inside, 21 funerary deities are carved across the base, flanked by Nut, the sky goddess. A hole drilled at one end hints at its later use as a ritual bath. This sarcophagus, once lost for centuries, became the subject of many medieval legends. It arrived in the British Museum in 1802, donated by King George III, following its removal during the Napoleonic campaign.
See it in person
26th Dynasty sarcophagus is on display in Room 4 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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