SARCOPHAGUS OF ASHAIT (DETAILS)

Identity:         Ashait, Wife of Mentuhotep II
Material:       Painted Limestone
Period:          Middle Kingdom, 11th Dynasty
Reign:           Mentuhotep II

Dimensions:
Height:       97 cm
Length:       250 cm  
Width:        97 cm

The interior decoration of the sarcophagus is painted in vivid colors and reproduces scenes of a palace life nearly identical to the carvings in sunk relief on the exterior. In the first scene, Ashait has coarse features and a stout figure. She is depicted sniffing lotuses, the symbol of life, while an attendant fans her and another presents a duck.