Ani's Journey To Death In The Book Of The Dead

While the Book of the Dead illustrates a myriad of incredibly vivid scenes to guide ones’ journey to the afterlife, the most iconic and perhaps important of all is the weighing of the heart scene. Upon the passing of a member of the Egyptian elite many important rituals would take place including purification, mummification, and the opening of the mouth ceremony . Once buried the deceased would commence a journey through the ancient Egyptian underworld named Duat and subsequently enter the hall of judgment to declare innocence from wrongful deeds that may have tarnished the heart, including stealing, lying, coveting, etc. After the initial confession, the deceased would continue on to the hall of Maat to be judged in the presence of the court of gods and have their heart placed on the scales of …show more content…
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In the Papyrus of Ani, Ani and his wife, Tutu, walk humbly and respectfully towards the scale where Ani’s heart lays within a canopic jar and is being weighed against Maat’s feather of truth. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the heart was the seat of emotions, intellect, will and morality; without it resurrection in the afterlife would be impossible . In this scene, the god Anubis sits to the right of the balance pole checking the scales in the presence of Ani’s ba and the figures Shai , Meshkenet and Renenet. The scribe god Thoth stands over the proceedings and records the outcome. His words are recorded in the text in front of him and say ‘I have judged the heart of the Osiris, and his ba stands as a witness for him. His deeds are true upon the great balance, and no sin has been found in him. ’ This outcome is read to the Great Ennead who are seated at the head of