This detail scene, from the Papyrus of Hunefer (c. 1275 BCE), shows the scribe Hunefer's heart being weighed on the scale of Maat against the feather of truth, by the jackal-headed Anubis. The ibis-headed Thoth, scribe of the gods, records the result. If his heart equals exactly the weight of the feather, Hunefer is allowed to pass into the afterlife. If not, he is eaten by the waiting chimeric devouring creature Ammit composed of the deadly crocodile, lion, and hippopotamus. Vignettes such as these were a common illustration in Egyptian books of the dead.
From Wikipedia: The Book of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian funerary text, used from the beginning of the New Kingdom (around 1550 BCE) to around 50 BCE.[1] The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated rw nw prt m hrw[2] is translated as Book of Coming Forth by Day.[3] Another translation would be Book of emerging forth into the Light. "Book" is the closest term to describe the loose collection of texts[4] consisting of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person's journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife and written by many priests over a period of about 1000 years.
EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD (EBOOK)
Egyptian Book of The Dead -- Bookyards
The Book of the Dead -- Sacred Texts
The Egyptian Book of the Dead -- Translated by E.A. Wallis Budge, The Nazarene Way of Essenic Studies
USEFUL EDUCATIONAL LINKS
Egyptian Book of the Dead -- Ancient History
Teacher's Resource - Book of the Dead -- British Museum
Book of the Dead -- Encyclopædia Britannica
Bookof the Dead -- Crystal Links
What is a Book of the Dead? -- John Taylor, British Museum
The Book of the Dead -- Ancient Egypt Online
USEFUL QUOTES
Book of the Dead -- Wikiquote
VIDEOS ON THE EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD
Editor's Note: As a Sopranos fan, I found this interesting .... James Gandolfini 'read Egyptian Book of the Dead' hours before dying from massive heart attack (Daily Mail).
