The coffins of the priests of Amun. Egyptian coffins from the 21st Dynasty in the collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden.PALMA 17. Ancient Egyptian coffins provided a shell to protect the deceased both magically and physically. They guaranteed an important requirement for eternal life: an intact body. Not everybody could afford richly decorated wooden coffins. As commodities, coffins also pl ayed a vital role in the daily life of the living and marked their owners taste and status. Coffin history is an ongoing process and does not end with the ancient burial. The