When Amenempermut's coffin was closed in the 10th century B.C., a goddess was there waiting for him on the base, holding her hands out to cradle his body and protect him in the next life.
However Amenempermut wasn't her first. This coffin was originally made for a man named Pediamun.
While officially a criminal act, tomb thievery had always been part of Egypt's story, and the dead were never more vulnerable than in the 21st Dynasty.
The defence of Egypt's borders, collapse of trade routes, and an unreliable Nile had put the palace treasury under pressure. With royal patronage down, the Theban priestly class had to adapt.
No longer able to afford elaborate tombs, and with less access to fine, imported wood, Amenempermut's family had no option but to disturb the afterlife of Pediamun and reuse his coffin.
This beautiful coffin is part of an exhibition at the Museum of Kyoto, featuring treasures on loan from Cairo's Egyptian Museum. "The Golden Pharaohs and Pyramids" runs until Christmas Day.
Enjoy the full article in the latest issue of Nile Magazine and discover how ancient Egypt may not have been as flush with gold as we thought. Treat yourself (or someone else) with a subscription this Christmas.