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Amduat
The Amduat /ˈɑːm.dʊʔɑːt/ (from Ancient Egyptian: 𓇋𓏶𓇼𓏏𓉐, romanized: jmj-dwꜣt, imi-duat, lit. '[That Which] Is In the Afterworld, also called the Text of the Hidden Chamber Which is in the Underworld and Book of What is in the Underworld', (Arabic: كتاب الآخرة, romanized: Kitāb al-ākhirah, lit. 'The Book of the Hereafter') is an important ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Similar to previous funerary texts, such as the Old Kingdom's Pyramid Texts, or the First Intermediate Period's Coffin Texts, the Amduat was found carved on the internal walls of a pharaoh's tomb. Unlike other funerary texts, however, it was reserved almost exclusively for pharaohs until the Twenty-first Dynasty, or very select nobility.
The Amduat tells the story of Ra, the Egyptian sun god who makes a daily journey through the underworld, from the time when the sun sets in the west till it rises again in the east. This is associated with imagery of continual death and rebirth, as the sun 'dies' when it sets, and through the trials of rebirth in the underworld, it is once again 'reborn' at the beginning of a new day. It is said that the deceased Pharaoh will take this same journey through the underworld, ultimately to be reborn and become one with Ra, residing with him forever. Many gods, goddesses, and deities help both Ra and the deceased soul on this journey in a variety of ways, Khepri, Isis, and Osiris being some of the main ones. This is alongside many unnamed or unknown deities, which are often given reference to within the text of the Amduat itself.
As well as enumerating and naming the inhabitants of the Duat (Egyptian word for the underworld), both good and bad, the illustrations of the work show clearly the topography of the underworld. Early fragments of the Amduat can be found in the tombs of Hatshepsut & Thutmose I (KV20), as well as Thutmose I (KV38) and Thutmose II (Wadi C-4), but the earliest complete version is found in KV34, the tomb of Thutmose III in the Valley of the Kings.
The underworld is divided into twelve hours of the night, each representing different allies and enemies for the Pharaoh/sun god to encounter. The Amduat names all of these gods and monsters, such as the serpent of Mehen or the 'World Encircler' which play a variety of roles to either help or harm Ra and the deceased soul. The main purpose of the Amduat is to give information about the geography of the underworld, as well as the names and descriptions of these gods and monsters to the Ba (or soul) of the dead Pharaoh, so he can call upon them for help or use their name to defeat them.
The Amduat is represented in two forms within tombs: a shorter version of the text that simply covers the journey of Ra, and a much longer version that is both textually and pictorially represented. The long version typically contains the shorter version at the very end of the journey, as well as the directions for how the Amduat should be shown depicted on the walls of the tomb.
Visually, the Amduat is typically broken into 3 continuous horizontal registers, with vertical registers of text separating each of the 12 hours. Each of the vertical textual registers contain information about the title of the hour, name of the gateway (either a pylon, door, or gate that is guarded by a deity) that connects them, as well as the name of the region of the underworld in order to distinguish the progression of Ra's daily journey. The 12 hours follow along through 12 distinct regions of the Duat, while the 3 registers represent some of the physical locations within these regions. Additionally, at the end of each hour is a textual explanation of what happened within that region of the underworld.
Each of the top middle registers contains creatures and items typical of the Egyptian underworld, while the bottom registers contain additional information or details represented pictorially regarding the specific hour. The middle horizontal register traditionally starts with Ra on his solar barque (a type of boat), entering a new realm or ‘hour’ of the underworld.
Throughout the text of the Amduat, Ra is depicted as being "ram-headed" as he descends into the underworld and becomes separated from his body, being left only with his 'Ba' as he seeks to reunite with his body, which is now in the form of Osiris, in the ensuing hours. The hieroglyph for Ba is the same as the one for a ram in Ancient Egyptian, suggesting that his appearance is a visual pun.
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Amduat
The Amduat /ˈɑːm.dʊʔɑːt/ (from Ancient Egyptian: 𓇋𓏶𓇼𓏏𓉐, romanized: jmj-dwꜣt, imi-duat, lit. '[That Which] Is In the Afterworld, also called the Text of the Hidden Chamber Which is in the Underworld and Book of What is in the Underworld', (Arabic: كتاب الآخرة, romanized: Kitāb al-ākhirah, lit. 'The Book of the Hereafter') is an important ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Similar to previous funerary texts, such as the Old Kingdom's Pyramid Texts, or the First Intermediate Period's Coffin Texts, the Amduat was found carved on the internal walls of a pharaoh's tomb. Unlike other funerary texts, however, it was reserved almost exclusively for pharaohs until the Twenty-first Dynasty, or very select nobility.
The Amduat tells the story of Ra, the Egyptian sun god who makes a daily journey through the underworld, from the time when the sun sets in the west till it rises again in the east. This is associated with imagery of continual death and rebirth, as the sun 'dies' when it sets, and through the trials of rebirth in the underworld, it is once again 'reborn' at the beginning of a new day. It is said that the deceased Pharaoh will take this same journey through the underworld, ultimately to be reborn and become one with Ra, residing with him forever. Many gods, goddesses, and deities help both Ra and the deceased soul on this journey in a variety of ways, Khepri, Isis, and Osiris being some of the main ones. This is alongside many unnamed or unknown deities, which are often given reference to within the text of the Amduat itself.
As well as enumerating and naming the inhabitants of the Duat (Egyptian word for the underworld), both good and bad, the illustrations of the work show clearly the topography of the underworld. Early fragments of the Amduat can be found in the tombs of Hatshepsut & Thutmose I (KV20), as well as Thutmose I (KV38) and Thutmose II (Wadi C-4), but the earliest complete version is found in KV34, the tomb of Thutmose III in the Valley of the Kings.
The underworld is divided into twelve hours of the night, each representing different allies and enemies for the Pharaoh/sun god to encounter. The Amduat names all of these gods and monsters, such as the serpent of Mehen or the 'World Encircler' which play a variety of roles to either help or harm Ra and the deceased soul. The main purpose of the Amduat is to give information about the geography of the underworld, as well as the names and descriptions of these gods and monsters to the Ba (or soul) of the dead Pharaoh, so he can call upon them for help or use their name to defeat them.
The Amduat is represented in two forms within tombs: a shorter version of the text that simply covers the journey of Ra, and a much longer version that is both textually and pictorially represented. The long version typically contains the shorter version at the very end of the journey, as well as the directions for how the Amduat should be shown depicted on the walls of the tomb.
Visually, the Amduat is typically broken into 3 continuous horizontal registers, with vertical registers of text separating each of the 12 hours. Each of the vertical textual registers contain information about the title of the hour, name of the gateway (either a pylon, door, or gate that is guarded by a deity) that connects them, as well as the name of the region of the underworld in order to distinguish the progression of Ra's daily journey. The 12 hours follow along through 12 distinct regions of the Duat, while the 3 registers represent some of the physical locations within these regions. Additionally, at the end of each hour is a textual explanation of what happened within that region of the underworld.
Each of the top middle registers contains creatures and items typical of the Egyptian underworld, while the bottom registers contain additional information or details represented pictorially regarding the specific hour. The middle horizontal register traditionally starts with Ra on his solar barque (a type of boat), entering a new realm or ‘hour’ of the underworld.
Throughout the text of the Amduat, Ra is depicted as being "ram-headed" as he descends into the underworld and becomes separated from his body, being left only with his 'Ba' as he seeks to reunite with his body, which is now in the form of Osiris, in the ensuing hours. The hieroglyph for Ba is the same as the one for a ram in Ancient Egyptian, suggesting that his appearance is a visual pun.