Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris

New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, c. 1285 BCE. Illustration from the Book of the Dead, Thebes, Egypt. Painted papyrus.

In this scene from the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, some deities are depicted as human with animal-like heads, while other, more supreme gods, are depicted as royal humans. The scene begins on the left, with Anubis, depicted with the head of a jackal, bringing a human, Hunefer, to a judgement area. Next, Anubis weighs Hunefer's heart against a feather, the symbol of what is right. Depicted with the head of an ibis, the god Thoth stands waiting to record the results. If the two sides of the scale balance, Hunefer will have a successful afterlife. However, if the scale does not balance, Hunefer is destined to be thrown to the jaws of the ferocious Ammit, a creature that is "part-crocodile, part-lion, and part-hippopotamus" ("Judgement").

Hunefer apparently passes the test, as Horus, depicted as usual with the head of a falcon, escorts him to the supreme god Osiris, who is accompanied by his goddess sisters. In the top portion of this illustration, Hunefer bows to a line of nine gods, each depicted differently with common symbolism of the day. The figures are all depicted in a profiled lower-body and face with a three-quarter view of the torso, a style that was standard in Egyptian art.

Image:

"Page from the Book of the Dead of Hunefer". 2003. Available online at www.geocities.com/bookofdeceased/cont2.html.

Sources:

"Judgement of the dead in the presence of Osiris, the". 2003. Available online at www.geocities.com/bookofdeceased/cont2.html.

Stokstad, Marilyn. "Art of Ancient Egypt". Art History. Revised Second Edition, Vol. 1 p. 85-86.