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Funerary papyrus of Pen-Maat
Third Intermediate Period , XXI Dynasty, 1069-945 BC
Papyrus inscribed with black and red ink
Height 12.5 cm ( 4 7⁄8 in )
Width 60 cm ( 23 5⁄8 in )
Former collection Mr. Kaufmann Paris, France since the 2nd half of the 19th century, by descent from the above
A. Piankoff & N. Rambova: Mythological papyri translated with introduction by Alexander Piankoff, Bollingen Series, Pantheon Books, New York 1957
F. Schuler: Le Livre de l'Amdouat, José Corti, Paris 2005
C. Carrier: Le Livre de l'Amdouat du Papyrus T.71 de Leyde, Éditions Cybèle Paris 2011
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This mythological papyrus depicts the twelfth and last hour of the Book of Amduat, an important religious funerary work. It is di- vided into three registers. The top register shows a sequence of seated divinities and characters. Khnum in the lunar boat drawn by divinities is seen in the centre register. The lower register illustrates genies armed with knives cutting up bodies of the deceased that have not passed the Amduat. These are followed by a sequence of other characters. On the right, three columns of hieratic text name the owner of the papyrus, with the sarcophagus of the deceased in the form of Osiris below.
The term "mythological papyrus" commonly designates manuscripts which are characterized by a very strong predominance of the image over the text and by their mixture between several different compositions. They are quite specific to the 21st Dynasty. However, the content is generally closer to either the Book of the Dead or the Book of Amduat, as is the case here.
The Book of Amduat, originally purely royal, literally means "the book of what is in the duat" (dwAt) - that is to say in the underworld, place of residence of Ra during the hours of the night. It is an important funerary religious work also known as the Book of Secret Abodes. It appears in the tombs of the Valley of the Kings at the beginning of the XVII Dynasty. (1550-1301 BC)
