A Guide to The afterlife: The Ani Papyrus.

1. A GUIDE TO
THE AFTERLIFE:
THE ANI PAPYRUS
*Thoth's declaration to the Ennead, based on the weighing
of the heart of the scribe Ani

2. With a total length of nearly 78 feet, the Ani Papyrus is the most complete surviving version of
the Book of The Dead. It was produced around 1275 B.C. for Ani, the royal scribe of Thebe, and
his wife, Tutu, priestess of Amun. It was acquired in Luxor in 1888 by Wallis Budge, an agent of
the British Museum, who cut it into 37 sections to transport it to England. Budge published a
translation in 1895. A widely acclaimed translation by R.O. Faulkner was published in 1994. The
Ani Papyrus is still held by the British Museum. Two fragments we will present in this slide show.
The first one :
Jackal-Headed Anubis Weighs the heart before the 12 judges of the underworld while Ani
awaits his fate.
The second one:
Ani carries out the agricultural tasks required of the virtuous dead on the lush plain of Aaru,
“The Fields of reeds.”

3. 






4. Ani and his wife  enter the hall.
In attendance is a manifestation
Of Ani’s soul, his ba, represented
As a baird with a human head, and a
Male figure representing his destiny
. On the dishes of the scales 
Held by Anubis  are the heart of
Ani and the feather of Maat, symbol
Of justice. If Ani is righteous, heart
And feather must weigh the same.
Toth , god of writing, records the
Proceedings. Behind him, Ammit ,
A hybrid of crocodile, hippopotamus,
And leopard, is ready to devour Ani’s
Heart if it fails the test.

5. 







6. Having passed the trial, Ani ap-
proaches the land where the righ-
teous dwell. He makes offerings to
three of the gods of the Ennead (a
Grouping of nine deities). He then
Rows across the Lake of Offerings
and worships the falcon reprsent-
ing the west below, he carries out
Agricultural tasks, paying homage
To the bird Benum symbol of rebirth.
In the final picture, the boat of Wen-
nefer (0ne of the names for Osiris)
 Is shown moored on the lake. On
the right, Ani pays homage to Sokar
Osiris , the funerary god.