In his latest book, Carlos Gracia Zamacona presents a corpus-based comprehensive analysis of the ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts (ca. 2000-1600 BCE). Rather than focusing on highly speculative hypothetical reconstructions of the texts or interpretations of their religious or anthropological contents, Gracia Zamacona puts textual witnesses at the center of the study. By examining how and why the coffins were made and the information they give us about the mortuary culture of ancient Egypt, Gracia Zamacona shows that the Coffin Texts were a repository rather than a canon. His study offers new insight into the texts, revealing their performative and highly personalized practical context.
