Tablet of Seven Oils

During royal funerals, it was a rule to include in the offerings a complete set of the seven ritual oils. They were meant to be a testimony to the sacralization acts performed when the deceased was put in his coffin, and to protect the dead on their eternal journey.

This tablet for the seven sacred oils was discovered in the burial chamber of Ankhhaf. The names of the oils used in the ceremonies for the dead are inscribed in black ink. Small shallow depressions for the oils were also found. The name and titles of the owner are engraved upon the tablet.

Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, ca. 2613-2494 BC. Alabaster, from Giza necropolis. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 72303