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Egyptian Artifacts

The Book of the Dead of Hunefer

 The Book of the Dead of Hunefer is one of my absolute favorite artifacts, and seeing it in the British Museum was a dream come true for me!

On the top panel, Hunefer (the deceased) stands before the 42 divine judges and pleads their lifetime of truth and moral doings. The Book of the Dead provided the deceased with the words to say so they would pass this trial!

On the bottom panel: This is the Weighing of the Heart ceremony! Let’s start from the left! Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 is leading Hunefer (the deceased) to the scales (not gonna lie, I’m a little jealous they are holding hands 😂). Here, Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 weighs the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 against Maat’s 𓌴𓐙𓂣𓏏𓁦 feather (Maat is sitting on top of the scales). If Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 determines there’s balance between the two 𓏻, that means that the deceased lived a truthful 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓆄 and just 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓆄𓏜 life 𓋹.

Ammit 𓂝𓅓𓅓𓏏 (the Devourer of the Dead/Eater of Hearts) is there waiting to see if the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 didn’t live a truthful 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓆄 life! If the deceased’s 𓅓𓏏𓏱 heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 weighs more than the feather, Ammit 𓂝𓅓𓅓𓏏 would eat the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 and the deceased would “die a second time” and not live in eternal paradise. Thoth 𓅤𓀭 records the findings of the ceremony.

If the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 passed the Weigning of the Heart, they would be presented to Osiris 𓁹𓊨 𓀭 by Horus 𓅃𓀭 and would then enter the Field of Reeds 𓇏𓏏𓈅𓇋𓄿𓂋𓅱𓆰𓊖 and live in eternal paradise!