Book of the Dead (Spell 125 — Weighing of the Heart)
c. 1550–50 BCE · New Kingdom · Thebes; various
The Egyptian Book of the Dead — known to its creators as the Book of Coming Forth by Day — is a collection of magical spells and instructions intended to guide the deceased through the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, and into the afterlife. Spell 125, the most celebrated, depicts the Weighing of the Heart ceremony in the Hall of Two Truths: the heart of the deceased is placed on a scale against the feather of Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice, while Anubis operates the balance and Thoth records the result. Forty-two divine assessors hear the Negative Confession — a declaration of sins not committed, addressing each deity by name: "I have not stolen. I have not killed. I have not spoken falsely." If the heart is lighter than the feather, the deceased passes to eternal life in the Field of Reeds. If heavier, the heart is devoured by Ammit, the composite beast, and the soul ceases to exist. The papyri were personalised for wealthy individuals, with the deceased's name inserted into pre-written formulae.
notes
More than 200 spells are attested across surviving copies. The Papyrus of Ani (c. 1275 BCE) is among the finest illustrated copies. Earlier predecessors include the Coffin Texts (Middle Kingdom) and Pyramid Texts (Old Kingdom).
currently held: British Museum, London; Egyptian Museum, Cairo
related texts
The Pyramid Texts are the oldest surviving corpus of religious literature in the world, inscribed on the interior walls of five royal pyramids at Saqqara during the Old Kingdom. First written for Pharaoh Unas (c. 2375–2345 BCE) and subsequently adapted for other rulers, the 800-plus utterances were…