Image Gallery
The Judgement of the Dead by Osiris
The judgement of the dead in the presence of Osiris, from the Book of the Dead of Hunefer, from Thebes, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, c. 1275 BCE.
The scene reads from left to right. To the left, Anubis brings Hunefer into the judgement area. Anubis is also shown supervising the judgement scales. Hunefer's heart, represented as a pot, is being weighed against a feather, the symbol of Ma'at, the established order of things, in this context meaning 'what is right'. The ancient Egyptians believed that the heart was the seat of the emotions, the intellect, and the character, and thus represented the good or bad aspects of a person's life. If the heart did not balance with the feather, then the dead person was condemned to non-existence, and consumption by the ferocious 'devourer', the strange beast shown here, which is part-crocodile, part-lion, and part-hippopotamus.
However, as a papyrus devoted to ensuring Hunefer's continued existence in the afterlife is not likely to depict this outcome, he is shown to the right, brought into the presence of Osiris by his son Horus, having become 'true of voice' or 'justified'. This was a standard epithet applied to dead individuals in their texts. Osiris is shown seated under a canopy, with his sisters Isis and Nephthys. At the top, Hunefer is shown adoring a row of deities who supervise the judgement.
The British Museum, London.
Questions & Answers
How long were the gods & goddesses of ancient Egypt worshipped?
- The gods & goddesses of ancient Egypt were worshipped from the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE through the Roman Period of Egypt (30 BCE- 646 CE).
How did people worship the gods of ancient Egypt?
- People worshipped the gods through festivals and private rituals. There were no "worship services" as one would understand them today. Clergy communed with the god/goddess at the temple and people could visit the temple complex but were not allowed in the temple itself.
Who was the most popular deity of ancient Egypt?
- Isis was the most popular deity of ancient Egypt. Temples were raised in her honor outside of Egypt as far away as Roman Britain and her cult was a major contender with early Christianity.
Who was the most powerful deity of ancient Egypt?
- The most powerful deity of ancient Egypt was Amun. Amun was worshipped the longest and his clergy was so wealthy that their power rivaled that of the monarch.
