Inventory number

General description

Textual amulet with BoD chapter 100

Cat.2113 is a fragmentary papyrus containing spell 100 of the Book of the Dead. The function of the spell is to protect the deceased, allowing him to become an “excellent spirit” and to enter the solar boat of Ra joining “the ones who belong in his entourage”. A depiction of the sun boat is not preserved, which could have been drawn on the right or left side of the text column. Isolated from the Book of the Dead, the formular 100 had a protective function as a textual amulet. These types of amulets were folded or wrapped and placed on the body, usually tied around the neck.

Papyrus amulets, according to the evidence, were used since the beginning of the New Kingdom. They were largely used during the later phases of the ancient Egyptian history and continued after the pharaonic period. Based on palaeographic comparisons, Cat.2113 can be dated to the Graeco-Roman period.