Egypt Museum

Guardians of the Underworld bearing knives

Taken from Spell 144 of the ‘Book of the Dead’, they were the keepers of the gates of the Underworld, menacing the enemies of order with their sharpened knives.

Guardians of the Underworld bearing knives
Guardians of the Underworld bearing knives
The messenger with a ram’s head, third door of the Kingdom of Osiris, chapter 144 of the Book of the Dead
The messenger with a ram’s head, third door of the Kingdom of Osiris, chapter 144 of the Book of the Dead

Detail of wall painting from the Tomb of Queen Nefertari (QV66). New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1292-1189 BC. Valley of the Queens, West Thebes.

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