American Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
By Jaden Song and Fares Mousa, Northern Virginia Community College
Page from the Book of the Dead of HuneferBritish Museum
The Job of Anubis
The Egyptian god of death was a jackal-headed deity that guided souls and dead kings to the afterlife. There they were judged by Osiris through the weighing of the heart. Anubis would also embalm the dead and protect them.
Significance
Anubis was one of the most important gods in Ancient Egyptian history. People viewed him with respect as a god of the underworld. He was depicted as a jackal-headed god because jackals were frequently seen roaming around tombs in Ancient Egypt.
Scene from TT219American Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Anubis was said to have invented the mummification process. In world mythology, gods of death are often associated with evil. However, this wasn't the case for Anubis. The Egyptian people viewed him as a good, protective deity.
Symbolism
Anubis was portrayed with the color black, symbolizing regeneration and the Nile river's fertile soil. He was one of the most commonly represented deities in Egyptian art and appeared as early as the First Dynasty in royal tombs.
Faience pectoral (-1250/-1250)British Museum
Craftsmen frequently included Anubis on the coffins of royalty and the elite. Most commonly, he appeared in art with a body of a man and the head of a jackal with pointy ears. He was also depicted in full canine form in all black.
Stela of Siamun and Taruy worshipping Anubis (ca. 1400–1390 B.C.)The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Anubis is often depicted holding a crook and flail, symbolizing authority. He was seen as the primary god associated with death during the Old Kingdom until the 4th Dynasty. Anubis then replaced him as the main god of death and resurrection.
The Changing Role of Anubis
As time passed, Anubis’s role within ancient Egyptian funerary religion changed, but he still held an important place in Egyptian mythology. Anubis is still credited with the creation of mummification, allowing mortal lives to continue in the afterlife.
False door Stela in the Broad Hall (2009-03) by Katy DoyleAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Anubis continued to be viewed as a close ally of Osiris, sometimes considered his son.
When Seth killed Osiris and chopped up his body, Anubis assisted in resurrecting Osiris through mummification. Anubis embalmed the body, allowing Osiris to live on in the afterlife. Osiris then descended into the underworld and became the king of the dead.
This story was created as part of ARCE's Archive Digitization & Publication Project, funded by the US Department of Education. Text and story by Jaden Song and Fares Mousa, students at Northern Virginia Community College (Alexandria Campus), in the course Art 101 - History and Appreciation of Art 1, taught by Sarah Liberatore.
