Inventory number

General description

Book of the Dead of Djedmutiuesankh, Chantress of Amun-Ra

Despite its fragmentary condition, the papyrus is completely preserved in length. It contains a sequence of seven chapters from the so-called Book of the Dead starting after a colourful vignette. Depicted on the right is the deceased named Djedmutiuesankh, who was a Chantress of the god Amun-Ra, as mentioned in the hieroglyphic text above her. She wears a long curly wig and a semi-transparent dress, her hands raised in adoration of Osiris in front of her. Cited in the text above are some of the titles of the god: Lord of Eternity, Foremost of the divine tent, Great god and Lord of Abydos. The pigments of the adoration scene are well-preserved, however, the face and the hands of Osiris as well as parts of his arms and the throne appear to have been “re-coloured” in modern times, most likely in the 19th century.

The Book of the Dead chapters are written in hieratic from right to left, containing formulae for the re-activation and protection of body parts and significant aspects of the personality of the deceased: Formula for opening the mouth (chapter 23), Formula for bringing the words of power (chapter 24), Formula for giving the memory (chapter 25), Formula for giving the heart (chapter 26), Formula for preventing the chest from being taken away (chapter 28) and Formula for preventing the heart from being taken away (chapter 27). The manuscript ends with chapter 162, a formula for creating a flame under the head of the deceased. The said flame is of divine origin, connected to a mighty god, and aims to protect Djedmutiuesankh in the Afterlife.

Chapter 162 is not attested before the Third Intermediate Period whereas chapters 23 to 28 are well-known from Book of the Dead papyri since the New Kingdom. The majority of manuscripts dating to the Third Intermediate Period, which end with chapter 162, can be dated more precisely to the 21st or 22nd dynasty (1069–720 a.C.) and belonged to women connected to the temple cult for Amun-Ra in Karnak, as was Djedmutiuesankh.