Coffin Texts Spell 155 on the Moon

This paper presents a fresh rendering of Coffin Texts spell 155 based on the hieroglyphic text variant that is found on the coffin of a Deir el-Bersha official, Sen. It is argued that through references to an extensive body of lunar knowledge and wide-ranging associations this spell gives an elaborate – hitherto only partially understood – description of the period of time when the moon is not visible in its monthly cycle, i.e. astronomical new moon.