Ex collection D. N Paris years 70 , auction house Including stand The protection of the body after death was of pivotal importance in Ancient Egyptian religion, as a well-preserved body was necessary to enter the afterlife. Though, in addition to protection, sarcophagi served an important religious and symbolic function through their shape and design, which changed and evolved over the history of Ancient Egypt. In their earliest history, sarcophagi were considered the eternal dwelling of the deceased; they were usually undecorated or, later, inscribed with simple offering formulas, wadjet eyes and images of a ‘false door’. As the nature of the afterlife changed around the end of the Middle Kingdom, these simple sarcophagi were replaced by intricate anthropoid coffins. These were dressed with a headdress, collar and often a false-beard, reflecting an Osiride image of the deceased.