Re-membering Osiris: Late Period casting moulds and Osirian ritual

Abstract

• In 1969, a unique set of Late Period bronze casting moulds was discovered at the Qubbet el-Hawa necropolis illustrating the chaîne opératoire of the lost-wax technique. Usually only mould fragments, if anything at all, remain in the archaeological record, but this assemblage presents complete examples representative of different phases of the production of solid-cast bronze artefacts. µCT scans of the moulds have revealed the existence of two entirely different technological approaches. The first is for the regular production of small amulets and statuettes of deities. The second is for attempts at “re-membering” Osiris figures. Previously cast and broken bronze feet are turned into the full form of an Osiris statuette by adding a body modeled in wax, and then placing the combination in a mould to cast a new image of the deity. Technologically, this particular method does not make sense, since a fusion of the newly cast body with the extant metal feet is impossible. This paper proposes a new hypothesis that seeks to explain this casting method in the context of a local ritual use.