Tayesnakht papyrus – Turin

tAys-nx.t
Ranke I, pg. 375-25
Also known as Taysnakht
Provenance Thebes/Deir-el-Medina (?)
Ex collection Bernardino Drovetti
Acquisition in 1824
Ptolemaic Period (332-30 BC)

Titles unknown to me

Totenbuchprojekt Bonn, TM 57577

The papyrus depicts the following chapters;

Funerary Procession (Chs. 1–15)

  • The deceased Taysnakht’s body and grave goods are transported by boat across the Nile to the necropolis

  • Priests purify and carry furniture and food offerings

  • At the tomb, the mummy is ritually purified and revived before the funerary chapel, topped with a small pyramid

Adoration of the Sun (Chs. 15–16)

  • Scenes show offerings to the deceased, baboons worshipping the rising sun, goddesses honoring the setting sun, and veneration of the sun god Re’s boat

  • These images symbolize the sun’s cycle and rebirth, accompanied by a hymn to Re

The Osiris Myth (Ch. 17)

  • Taysnakht relives the Osiris legend: Osiris’s resurrection, the struggle between Horus and Seth, and her own battle against Seth, who appears as various dangerous animals

  • This represents the soul’s regeneration and identification with Re

Confronting the Netherworld Gods (Chs. 145–147)

  • The soul faces obstacles from funerary deities, guardians, and gatekeepers

  • Taysnakht must know and name these beings to pass, using the magical power of names

Weighing of the Heart (Psychostasia, Ch. 125)

  • Taysnakht’s heart is weighed against the feather of Maat (justice)

  • A pure heart allows entry to the afterlife; a heavy heart is devoured by Ammit, ending the soul’s existence

In the Presence of Osiris (Ch. 148)

  • Taysnakht worships Osiris, embraced by the goddess of the West

  • Behind them are sacred cows, a black bull (regeneration), oars with the wedjat eye, and protective deity triads

Life in the Fields of Iaru (Ch. 110 (in the middle))

  • Guided by Thoth, Taysnakht enters the blessed Fields of Iaru after passing the guardians

  • She sails on a boat with offerings; scenes depict cultivation, nourishment, and the journey to the celestial real

This overview highlights the main episodes and symbolic stages of Taysnakht’s journey through the afterlife. Source: abbreviated text from the museum’s website

See for and excellent compilation in high resolution Museo Egizio

Tayesnakht

Book of the Dead papyrus for Tayesnakht

Length 864 cm, height 35 cm
Ref. No. 1833, Turin
Photo and compilation courtesy Archivio Museo Egizio
Panorama view VB 2025 (15 Mb)

Fragment, on the right Chapter 110, on the left Chapter 148