How to Design a Mummy Coffin

Design a mummy's coffin after studying about Egyptian sarcophagi.

A mummy coffin is also known as a sarcophagus. Ancient Egypt is the place where a mummies coffin is located. The Pharaoh's of Egypt built large buildings to house their mummified bodies such as the Great Pyramids. The sarcophagus was first used as the outer container that housed a coffin and a mummy. As time passed, the inner coffin was no longer used and the mummy laid inside an ornate sarcophagus that sat on top of the ground. The design on the sarcophagus was a streamlined sculpture of the mummy with Egyptian clothing, jewelry and make-up.

Things You'll Need

• Sarcophagus pictures
• Paper
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Look at a minimum of 10 different pictures of Egyptian sarcophagi. Locate the pictures in textbooks, books on Egyptian mummies or the Internet. Choose one or two mummy coffins as a guide for your design.

2. Select a shape for the mummy coffin. Choose between a rectangle, rounded diamond shape or body shape.

3. Draw a rough sketch of the top of the mummy's coffin. A rough draft is a sketch that is not a perfect drawing. It is meant to show placement and express an idea without great detail. For example, draw a picture of the face with a headdress, crossed arms, jewelry and the type of clothes the mummy is wearing. Add exaggerated facial features highlighted with makeup.

4. Draw a rough sketch of the long side and short end of the coffin including any sculptures or painted designs. For example, the long side of the mummy's coffin has small carvings of Egyptian slaves holding the body on top of their head or hands. Another option is curvy or straight lines with jewels set every few inches.

5. Add a description to the mummy's coffin on the open areas of the paper to explain specific details of construction including type of medium for construction and dimension, type of medium for surface finish, and materials needed for embellishments such as stones or metallic paint.