When this scroll was produced, some form of written language was in
place for as much as a thousand years. Egypt had the good fortune to
preserve documents in the dryness of the desert climate. Other
cultures were not so fortunate with the exception of Sumeria and
their clay tablets.
It is good to learn that this document will be now largely complete.
The Book of the Dead appears to inform the soul of his passage to the
afterlife. This is not an unexpected development in light of the
physical reality of the near death experience, or luminous dreaming
that is widely experienced and reported. It is recognized that an
uninstructed soul can linger a long time outside his abode in the
afterlife and that is undesirable.
Last fragments from
'magical' Egyptian 'Book of the Dead' from 1420 BC found - after
century-long search by archaeologists
By ROB WAUGH
PUBLISHED 20 April
2012
The last missing pages
from a supposedly 'magical' Book of the Dead from an Egyptian priest,
Amenhotep, have been found after a century-long search - in a museum
in Queensland.
British Museum
Egyptologist Dr John Taylor said he was 'floored' by the discovery of
the 100 fragments.
It's the end of a
worldwide search by archaeologists for the papyrus scroll - which
supposedly contains spells to guide spirits into the afterlife.
Ms Bates said British
Museum Curator and world renowned Egyptologist Dr John Taylor had
stumbled across a section of the manuscript as part of a Queensland
Museum display.
‘After spotting the
piece Dr Taylor was shown the other 100 plus fragments held in the
Museum’s stores and was floored by what he had uncovered,’ Ms
Bates said.
‘These unsuspecting
papyrus pieces form the missing part of a highly historically
valuable ‘Book of the Dead’ that belonged to the Chief Builder of
the temple of Amun, Amenhotep.
‘Sections of this
precious manuscript have laid scattered across the globe for a
hundred years with some of the pieces held safely in the collections
of British Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Metropolitan
Museum of Art (MET), New York.
However,
archaeologists had been unable to piece it together in its entirety
and have long been looking for the missing sections to complete the
story of this important Egyptian figure’s journey into the
afterlife.’
A ‘Book of the Dead’
is an Egyptian manuscript, up to 20 metres in length, of magical
spells written on papyrus that were commissioned by families upon the
death of a loved one to guide them on their hazardous journey into
the afterlife.
Amenhotep’s
manuscript is particularly significant as it is an early example of a
Book of the Dead manuscript that has several unusual features found
on only four or five manuscripts ever found.
These include borders
featuring five pointed stars and sun-disks along the top and bottom,
and a large inscription in one line on the back of the papyrus, all
of which indicates a person of considerable rank, wealth and
importance.
Ms Bates said the
Queensland Museum’s sections were donated and have been
meticulously kept in the stores of the Museum for almost 100 years.
‘It is so gratifying
to find that it is our own Queensland Museum team that have been the
guardians of this tomb secret have perfectly preserved such
incredibly fragile and rare artefacts for over a century.’
Ms Bates said the
Queensland Museum would support future research into the Amenthoep
‘Book of the Dead’.
‘We’re proud the
Queensland Museum will help close the book on this mystery,’ Ms
Bates said.
Dr John Taylor said
once back in London, he would like to start trying to piece the
Queensland Museum fragments into the British Museum’s manuscript
electronically.
‘Reuniting
manuscripts like this is incredibly important and meticulous work and
we hope by piecing together the fragments we will be able to see what
mysteries they reveal,’ Dr Taylor said.
‘Archaeologists
don’t find manuscripts like this so often nowadays. It is finds
like this and bringing the pieces together that provide the most
significant discoveries.’
‘Queensland
can make a significant contribution in helping the world to better
understand one of the most fascinating and sophisticated
civilisations in the ancient world,’ Ms Bates said.
‘We have seen the
awe and delight Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb has brought to so many
Queenslanders already and for us to be able to share some of our own
Egyptian treasures with the world is truly wonderful.’
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