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 fileMartin von Wagner Museum 2025-02-09h
This fragment of papyrus features a vignette on the upper left showing the head of a person with dark hair and reddish skin rising from a stylized, white and blue lotus flower. Behind this, a simplified, outline-style jackal lies in a prone position. The remainder of the surface is densely packed with vertical columns of black and red Egyptian hieroglyphs, framed by horizontal red lines at the top and bottom. The papyrus shows signs of age, including fraying edges, small holes, and discoloration throughout.
The imagery of the deceased emerging from a lotus is a common motif in the Book of the Dead, symbolizing rebirth and the solar cycle. The jackal is likely a representation of Anubis, the deity of mummification and guardian of the threshold between life and death.
Multiple columns of Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Translation
The text contains various spells and incantations related to the deceased's transition into the afterlife, likely including parts of the Book of the Dead spells for transformation or appearing by day.
The Book of the Dead
This fragment represents a typical vignette from the spells found in the Egyptian funerary text known as the Book of the Dead.
Object
ink painting
papyrus
New Kingdom
Egyptian
manuscript-illumination
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
3368 × 4439 px
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.