Amduat papyrus of Mutregh
Turin papyrus Cat. 1787 presents scenes from the Amduat Eleventh and Twelfth Hours. On the manuscript’s right-hand side the so-called etiquette shows an offering scene between Osiris and the papyrus’ owner.
The treatise’s structure consists of one horizontal register. From left to right it describes the netherworld reality through a multimodal composition of visual and linguistic signs.
On the manuscript’s left-hand side, the scribe presents the following scenes: The Snake of Time (Eleventh Hour), The Twelve Gods (Eleventh Hour) and Khepri and Shu (Twelfth Hour).
On the manuscript’s right-hand side, the etiquette shows the deceased, Mutregh, praising Osiris and offering him funerary supplies.
Third Intermediate Period (1076-664 BC)
Dynasty 21 (1076-944 BC)
Siamun/Psusennes II
Thebes
Acquisition: Drovetti, Bernardino
Acquisition Date: 1824
Enrico Pozzi (EP)
Shenali Boange (SB)
cursive hieroglyphs
Amduat
Eleventh Hour, Twelfth Hour
Netherworld (dwA.t), Nun (nww), Hidden Chamber (a.t-imn.t)
Third Intermediate Period (1076-664 BC)
Dynasty 21 (1076-944 BC)
Siamun/Psusennes II
Yes
The manuscript’s visual representation describes a specific segment of the Sun-god Re’s nocturnal journey through the last hours of the night. The treatise’s visual model does not resemble the prototype established that decorates the 18th Dynasty royal burial chambers in the Valley of the Kings, as the scribe only focuses on the top register of the Eleventh Hour. The manuscript also presents a significant fracture; therefore, some deities are missing from these episodes (deities 760-767 in the Eleventh Hour and deity 883 in the Twelfth Hour). From the manuscript’s left to right-hand side, the scribe illustrates the snake of time Sd-wnw.t (He who takes away the hours) in red ink with the deity D.t (Time) above its coils: the former represents the flowing concept of time (nHH) and the latter its static aspect (D.t). In the following scene, three deities guard and protect the Sun-god’s mysteries; unfortunately, this episode is not well preserved and we only see three of the twelve deities. In the last scene, the Sun-god’s renewed form, a beetle (here missing), exits the Netherworld by travelling through the air-god Shu’s outstretched arms to be reborn as the sun disk at dawn. On the manuscript’s right-hand side, the etiquette shows the deceased, Mutregh, praising Osiris and offering him funerary supplies.
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Niwinski A., Studies on the Illustrated Theban Funerary Papyri of the 11th and 10th Centuries B.C. (OBO 86), Fribourg / Göttingen: Universitätsverlag / Vandenhoeck Ruprecht 1989 (OEB 32792).
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Sadek, A-A F., Contribution à l’étude de l’Amdouat: Les variantes tardives du Livre de l’Amdouat dans les papyrus du Musée du Caire (OBO 65), Freiburg / Göttingen: Universitätsverlag / Vandenhoeck Ruprecht 1985 (OEB 29751).