Burial and Mortuary Practices in Late Period and Graeco-Roman Egypt (Budapest, Hungary, 2014)

Wooden funerary figures representing the deceased with the features of the triune god Ptah-Sokar-Osiris became a distinctive element in the funerary furniture of elite burials dating from the Third Intermediate Period onwards. Such artefacts, usually placed next to the coffin and inscribed with specific invocations, were considered an element of deep connection with the deceased, granting her/him resurrection and life everlasting beyond death. The custom of placing Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures inside the tombs reaches a climax during the Late and Ptolemaic periods during which they were often mass-produced, falling eventually into disuse with the approaching of the Roman era. During this time frame, Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures are subject to changes in typology, style and religious significance.

This paper, taking into account geographical and chronological factors, intended to present a brief analysis of these changes, focusing on the morphological, structural, and typological aspects involved in this evolution.