Padief papyrus – Turin 6
Padief – pA-di.f
Probably from Thebes, 21th Dynasty, 1076-944 BC, acquisition in 1824
Ranke I, pg. 123, 14
God’s father (?) in the Temple of Amen-Re (Museo Egizio mentions as title God’s father of Amen-Re)
This papyrus presents scenes from the middle registers of the Amduat’s Tenth and Twelfth Hours. Above the composition, the scribe placed a line of text reporting the Eleventh Hour’s introduction, and on the manuscript’s far right-hand side, the so-called etiquette shows an offering scene between Osiris and the papyrus’ owner.
The treatise’s structure consists of one horizontal register. From left to right it describes the netherworld reality through a multimodal composition of visual and linguistic signs.
The Tenth Hour, on the manuscript’s left-hand side, presents the following scenes: The Solar Boat, The bA of Sokar, The bA of Osiris and The Armed Ones.
An eight-columned text presents the Tenth Hour’s introduction as well as the deceased’s name, epithet and title. This text separates the Tenth Hour from the Twelfth.
On the manuscript’s right-hand side, the Twelfth Hour describes the end of the Sun-god Re’s nocturnal journey through the Netherworld. Here, the Sun’s rejuvenation process takes place inside the life-regenerating serpent anx-nTr.w (Life of the gods). This hour of the night presents the following scenes: The Solar Boat, The Twelve Gods of Tow, The Snake of Rejuvenation, The Thirteen Goddesses of Tow and Khepri and Shu.
On the manuscript’s far right-hand side, the etiquette shows the deceased, Padief, offering funerary supplies and a perfume burner to Osiris (source Museo Egizio Papyri, research Enrico Pozzi, Shenali Boange)
Amduat papyrus for Padief
Length 210 cm, height 24.5 cm
BA 1777, Turin 6, Type BA.II.1b Niwinski
See Museo Egizio for additional info
Photo website Museo Egizio and panorama view VB 2022
Fragment