"Amduat" Papyrus of Henettawy, daughter of Isetemkheb
This papyrus is part of the funerary equipment belonging to a wealthy woman named Henettawy, daughter of Isetemkhab, who was buried in a family tomb at Deir el-Bahri. Found rolled into a tight scroll and placed between the legs of Henettawy's mummy, it includes part of a collection of religious texts known as the Book of the Amduat, which were designed to aid the deceased in overcoming the dangers of the Duat (the Netherworld). Appearing originally in the royal tombs of the New Kingdom, these annotated illustrations represent the twelve individual hours of the night, during which the deceased would travel with the sun god, Re, through the Duat. In the deepest hour, Re would join with Osiris, king of the dead, so that he could be reborn in the morning. The illustration here is of the Tenth Hour of the night, during which the denizens of the Duat began to prepare for the sunrise. The scribe may originally have intended to include one or more additional hours in the blank space to the left.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Amduat" Papyrus of Henettawy, daughter of Isetemkheb
- Period: Third Intermediate Period
- Dynasty: Dynasty 21
- Date: ca. 990–970 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, Tomb MMA 60, Chamber, Burial of Henettawy, daughter of Isetemheb (Ch4), MMA excavations, 1923–24
- Medium: Papyrus, ink
- Dimensions: L. 139 cm (54 3/4 in); w. 23.5 cm (9 1/4 in); d. rolled 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in)
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1925
- Object Number: 25.3.28
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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