Cleveland Museum of Art (Egyptian) · other

Book of the Dead of Hori

Source of record: Cleveland Museum of Art (Egyptian) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

[Egypt, Third Intermediate (1069–715 BCE), Dynasty 21] The Egyptian Book of the Dead--or as they called it, the Book of Going Forth By Day--was not a single, unified, and authoritative manuscript, but a handful of special spells selected from a pool of about 200 age-old magical formulae. This illustrated Book of the Dead inscribed for the priest Hori includes the so-called Book of Gates. There are sixteen gates through which Hori must pass, each guarded by a fierce, animal-headed, knife-brandishing monster. Among them are "The Mistress of Wrath," "The Fiery One," and the "Long-Horned Bull." To reach the afterlife, Hori must present the gate-keepers with a series of secret passwords provided for him in the papyrus. At the far right, we see Hori, who having completed his task, is now reborn.

Cross-references (2)

  • Wikidata Q60761862 tier-1
  • CMA-id 102388 tier-2
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  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Cleveland Museum of Art (Egyptian).
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