Experts Discover Papyrus Scroll Containing Texts Believed by Ancient Egyptians to Guide the Dead in the Afterlife.
Archaeologists from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities have uncovered a 16-meter-long papyrus scroll detailing sections from the “Book of the Dead,” as reported by Live Science on January 26. This over 2,000-year-old document was found in a coffin located in a burial shaft south of the Djoser Step Pyramid in Saqqara. The Ministry has not yet released images of the scroll, but it will soon be displayed in an Egyptian museum.
Images from the Book of the Dead of Hunefer. (Photo: Wikimedia).
The analysis of this new discovery could shed light on the funeral customs of ancient Egyptians. Conservation work has been completed, and the papyrus is currently being translated into Arabic. According to Mostafa Waziry, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, this is the first complete papyrus scroll discovered at Saqqara in over 100 years.
The Djoser Step Pyramid was constructed during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser (circa 2630 – 2611 BCE) and is the first pyramid built by the Egyptians. The area surrounding the pyramid was used for burials for millennia.
The coffin containing the 16-meter-long papyrus dates back to the Late Period of Ancient Egypt (circa 712 – 332 BCE), according to Zahi Hawass, former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt. Hawass stated that information about the owner and the precise dating of the papyrus will be announced soon.
“The Book of the Dead” is the modern term used to refer to texts that the Egyptians believed would guide the dead in the afterlife and serve various other purposes. These texts were widely used during the New Kingdom period of Egypt (circa 1550 – 1070 BCE).
While 16 meters is considerable in length, some “Books of the Dead” are equal to or even longer. Some scrolls measure over 30 meters, according to Foy Scalf, head of the research archive department at the University of Chicago.
This is the second papyrus containing texts from the “Book of the Dead” discovered in Saqqara in the past year. Another 4-meter-long papyrus was also found in Saqqara, in a burial shaft near the pyramid of Pharaoh Teti (who reigned circa 2323 – 2291 BCE). This scroll explicitly identifies its owner as a man named “Pwkhaef.”
