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Lid of the sarcophagus of Ibi, Chief Steward of Nitocris, Divine Adoratrice of Amon

The quality of this work, finely sculpted in a very hard rock, befits the lofty status of its owner. Nitocris, daughter of Psamtek I, was the highest religious authority in Thebes, and Ibi managed her estate.
The lid pictures Ibi as Osiris, with his hands emerging from the shroud to grasp the djed-pillar, which allows him to rise to his feet again after his resurrection.
The deities pictured between the mummy bandages incised on the body assist Ibi in his journey in the Beyond. On his feet, the sky-goddess Nut spreads her wings, holding an ankh-symbol in her hands, that Ibi may be reborn every morning like the sun on the horizon.
Three holes are bored under the beard and another in the scepter. Their purpose must have been to make it easier to move the object, which weighs more than a ton.

Cat. 2202/01
Stone / Greywacke stone
26 cm x 62.5 cm x 195 cm
664–610 BCE
Late Period
Twenty–sixth Dynasty
Psammetichus I
Thebes, Assasif / TT 36
Purchase Bernardino Drovetti, 1824
Museum / Floor 1 / Room 11 / Baseplate
  • Lucarelli, Rita, Sarcophagus fragment with divine guardian, in Foy Scalf (ed.), Book of the Dead: Becoming God in Ancient Egypt (Oriental Institute Museum Publications 39), Chicago 2017, no. 12, pp. 196–197.
    Tipo=Catalogo d'esposizioni SottoTipo= Autore=Lucarelli, Rita Titolo=Sarcophagus fragment with divine guardian Sottotiolo=Foy Scalf (ed.) In=Book of the Dead: Becoming God in Ancient Egypt Collana=Oriental Institute Museum Publications Opera=39 Luogo=Chicago Anno=2017 Menzionato=no. 12, pp. 196-197 Illustrazione=
  • Wagner, Mareike, “New Research in the Tomb of Ibi (TT 36)”, GHP Egyptology, 27, 2018.
    Tipo=Estratto SottoTipo= Autore=Wagner, Mareike Titolo=New Research in the Tomb of Ibi (TT 36) Sottotiolo= In=GHP Egyptology, 27 Collana= Opera= Luogo= Anno=2018 Menzionato= Illustrazione=
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