The Coffin Texts were ancient Egyptian funerary texts written inside Middle Kingdom coffins.
They developed from the earlier Pyramid Texts, which had primarily been inscribed in royal pyramids. During the Middle Kingdom, similar protective spells became available to a broader group of elite people and were painted or written on coffins. The texts addressed dangers in the afterlife, supplied magical protection, and helped the deceased join the gods.
The collection includes hundreds of spells rather than one single standardized book. Different coffins could contain different selections, and the arrangement varied across periods and regions. Some spells later influenced material associated with the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
The Coffin Texts are especially important for understanding the changing social reach of Egyptian funerary religion. They show that access to written afterlife protection expanded beyond the king, although the inscriptions still belonged mainly to wealthy or high-status individuals.