"Amduat" Papyrus of Djedmutesankh
Discovered rolled up and placed between the legs of Djedmutesankh's mummy, this papyrus is a "Book of What is in the Netherworld (Duat)." It illustrates the 11th and 12th hours of the night, during which the deceased would travel with the sun god through the hazardous land of the dead to be reborn each morning. At the left is the boat of the sun-god together with various deities and denizens of the (Duat). To the right the mummified Osiris reclines in the arms of the god of the air Shu, who holds up the heavens with outstretched arms. Near Shu's head is a scarab beetle, incarnation of the sun at dawn; this represents the moment just before sunrise. At the extreme right Djedmutesankh pours a libation to a seated figure of Osiris.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Amduat" Papyrus of Djedmutesankh
- Period: Third Intermediate Period
- Dynasty: Dynasty 21
- Date: ca. 1000–945 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, Tomb MMA 60, Chamber, Burial of Djedmutesankh (Ch5), MMA excavations, 1923–24
- Medium: Papyrus, ink
- Dimensions: L. 227 cm (89 3/8 in.)
rolled: L. 24.5 × Diam. 4 cm (9 5/8 × 1 9/16 in.) - Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1925
- Object Number: 25.3.27
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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ca. 332–200 B.C.
ca. 712–525 B.C.
ca. 990–970 B.C.
ca. 1000–945 BCE
ca. 630 B.C.
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