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Papyrus from the Book of the Dead of Nakht

British Museum

British Museum
London, United Kingdom

Nakht was a royal scribe and overseer of the army (general) at the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty (about 1550-1295 BC). His Book of the Dead is a beautifully illustrated example.Chapter 117 of the Book of the Dead is a spell for taking the road to Rosetjau, the burial place of Osiris. The vignettes include scenes showing Anubis taking Nakht towards a false door, the offering place in the tomb through which the spirit of the deceased entered and left the next world. Nakht is also shown receiving a libation (liquid offering) from the tree goddess, and being subjected to the Opening of the Mouth ritual by the hawk-headed god, Horus.The figures of Nakht appear squat when compared to 'classic' Egyptian art. The slightly strange proportions, seen also in the tombs of Horemheb and Ramesses I in the Valley of the Kings, are typical of representation at the end of the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Dynasties. It is thought that this is the result of a readjustment of the artistic canon of proportions after the Amarna Period. The 'transparency' of the figures is also interesting: we can see the legs of Nakht through his white over-robe, and his feet are visible through the pool of water in the centre.

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  • Title: Papyrus from the Book of the Dead of Nakht
  • Physical Dimensions: Length: 71.30cm (frame); Width: 39.20cm (frame)
  • External Link: British Museum collection online
  • Registration number: 1888,0512.101.8
  • Place: Found/Acquired Egypt
  • Period/culture: 18th Dynasty
  • Material: papyrus
  • Copyright: Photo: © Trustees of the British Museum
  • Acquisition: Purchased through Budge, Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis
British Museum

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