Amenkhau papyrus – Turin 18
imn-xai.w
Ranke I, pg. 30, 19
Provenance probably from Thebes
Acquisition in 1824
21st Dynasty
This papyrus presents scenes from the Amduat’s Twelfth Hour and the Books of the Earth. On the manuscript’s right-hand side the deceased’s name and title are identified in the so-called etiquette
The treatise’s structure consists of a single horizontal register. From left to right it describes the Netherworld’s reality through a multimodal composition of visual and linguistic signs
From the manuscript’s left-hand side, the scribe presents the following scenes: The Aker Group 7 (Books of the Earth), The Aker Group 6 (Books of the Earth), The Solar Boat (Amdaut, Twelfth Hour), The Twelve Gods of Tow (Amdaut, Twelfth Hour), The Snake of Rejuvenation (Amdaut, Twelfth Hour), The Thirteen Goddesses of Tow (Amdaut, Twelfth Hour) and Khepri and Shu (Amdaut, Twelfth Hour)
The scribe then inserted two hieratic pages with the deceased’s name, Imenkhau (Amenkhau), and titles on the manuscript’s right-hand side
This manuscript is also known as “Patchwork Papyrus” because of fragments of various other manuscripts dating to the Ramesside period being used as patches on the verso of the funerary papyrus (source Museo Egizio Papyri, research Enrico Pozzi, Shenali Boange)
Amduat papyrus for Amenkhau
Length 124 cm, height 12.5 cm
Ref. No. 1789, Turin 18, Type A.III.2b Niwinski
Photo courtesy Archivio Museo Egizio
Panorama view VB 2022
