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Section of the Egyptian Book of the Dead |
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| The papyrus scroll is the progenitor of the modern book. The Egyptian Book of the Dead was a text containing prayers, spells, and hymns, the knowledge of which was to be used by the dead to guide and protect the soul on the hazardous journey through the afterlife. Beginning in the 18th Dynasty, the Book of the Dead was inscribed on papyrus. This section of one such book (c. 1310 bc) shows the final judgement of the deceased, in this case Hu-Nefer the royal scribe, before Osiris, the god of the dead. Hieroglyphics as well as illustrations portray the ritual of weighing the deceased’s heart before he can be awarded eternal life. The ancient Egyptians believed that the mystical scroll could secure the benevolence of Osiris for the dead person, and so they often placed it near the mummified body in the tomb. | ||||||
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| Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York | ||||||
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| Appears in these articles | ||||||
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| Book Trade; Osiris; Ancient Egypt; Illuminated Manuscripts; Book of the Dead; Illustration; Calligraphy | ||||||
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