Anthropoid Coffin Deir el-Balah, 13th century B.C.E.

A clay anthropoid coffin found in the ancient cemetery near Deir el-Balah, south of Gaza. The coffin is cylindrical in shape and widens at the shoulders with an opening for the body. The head and shoulders are not delineated and a human face and arms are depicted on the lid.

The Deir el-Balah cemetery was located nearby a stronghold established by the Egyptians on the main route from the Nile Delta to Canaan.