Papyrus from the Book of the Dead of Nakht

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.