In the spiritual landscape of Ancient Egypt, the sycamore tree (“nehet” in the Ancient Egyptian tongue) held a place of deep reverence. More than a mere provider of shade in the searing sun, the sycamore was seen as the Tree of Life, a sacred conduit between the earthly and the divine. It was believed to...
Lady of the House; Chantress of Amun-Ra, Tentosorkon, as appearing in her Papyrus (Book of the Dead), discovered in Thebes. c. 945 B.C. British Museum. EA9919,2 The name means ‘The (female) servant of Osorkon’. Tentosorkon (That of Sorkon), a name of Libyan origin which appeared around the 21st dynasty in the Delta, and was popularised...
Not much is known about Khary Wesay, other than he lived during the 19th Dynasty, yet the remnants of his Book of the Dead remain a beautiful discovery from Ancient Egypt. Through these well preserved fragments, one can take a technicolour journey through the Afterlife along with Khary Wesay and his wife Puia. New Kingdom,...
The Edwin Smith medical papyrus is undoubtedly one of the most important of the medical papyri. It was sold by Mustafa Agha, an Egyptian merchant, dealer and Consular Agent in Luxor to the American, Edwin Smith, a resident in Luxor 1858-1876. Unusually for his time, he had an extensive knowledge of hieratic, which enabled him...
Ani, held numerous titles including, “True Scribe of the King; His Beloved Scribe”, as well as “Overseer of the Double Granary of the Lord of Tawer”. Ani’s famous papyrus is one of the best preserved documents from Ancient Egypt, and is known as the Book of the Dead. A Book of the Dead is a...
This papyrus belonged to the Mistress of the House and Chantress of Amun, Tanetshedkhons, a Theban noblewoman of the 21st Dynasty. The scroll is inscribed with portions of two funerary texts known as the “Litany of Re” and the “Amduat,” or “Book of that which is in the Underworld.” The “Amduat”, like the “Book of...
Vignette from the funerary papyrus of the scribe Djehutymes. In ancient Egypt, jackals and dogs were very common in the land between desert and urban areas, so they were associated with the world of necropolis and the dead. Specifically, their wandering among the tombs was interpreted as a perpetual guard service to the deceased. The...
Nun or Nu, god of the primeval waters, origin of all life and chaos, lifts the barque of the sun god Re (represented by both the scarab and the sun disk) into the sky at the beginning of time. Nut, goddess of the Sky, is hanging from above, holding the god Osiris, also hanging from...
Vignette from Book of the Dead of Nestanebetisheru; frame 87. Full page black line vignette of Geb, Nut and Shu with three registers either side of adoring ancient Egyptian gatekeepers, ba’s and deities including Thoth. Every figure has an accompanying hieroglyphic label written in black ink. Geb is shown as a semi-recumbent figure stretching out...
One of the best-known vignettes in the Book of the Dead is that of the weighing of the heart (“psychostasia”) in the tribunal of the Double Truth, in the presence of Osiris and other gods of the netherworld. Chapter 125 of Book of Dead, Papyrus of Taysnakht, daughter of Taymes. The heart of the deceased...
