This library is built in the open.
If you spot an error, have a suggestion, or just want to say hello — we’d love to hear from you.
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileKV9 Tomb of Ramses V-VI DSCF2767
This wall relief, rendered in shallow carving and polychrome, features registers of Egyptian hieroglyphs interspersed with pictorial scenes. At the top, a series of human figures with arms raised in adoration face a row of birds. Below this, a long, undulating serpent spans the length of the composition, its body segmented into curves that each contain a small, standing human figure. To the left and right, various anthropomorphic deities and spirits are depicted in profile, dressed in traditional Egyptian kilts, gesturing towards the central texts and symbolic creatures.
This artwork represents scenes from the Book of Gates, a major New Kingdom funerary text found in royal tombs. It details the journey of the sun god Ra through the twelve gates of the Duat (underworld) during the night, illustrating the trials and protections required for the deceased king to achieve resurrection.
Extensive columns of Middle Egyptian hieroglyphs spanning the entire surface of the relief.
Translation
The text consists of spells and ritual instructions from the Book of Gates, narrating the passage of the sun god through the underworld and the protection of the solar barque.
Book of Gates
The reliefs in the tomb of Ramses V and VI are primary sources for the transmission of the Book of Gates.
Object
fresco
limestone
New Kingdom
Egyptian
religious
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 20, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.