Book of the Dead of the Goldworker of Amun, Sobekmose
ca. 1500–1480 B.C.E.
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Caption
Book of the Dead of the Goldworker of Amun, Sobekmose, ca. 1500–1480 B.C.E.. Papyrus, ink, pigment, 14 x 293 in. (35.6 x 744.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1777E. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.37.1777Ec_2010_at.jpg)
Title
Book of the Dead of the Goldworker of Amun, Sobekmose
Date
ca. 1500–1480 B.C.E.
Dynasty
early Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Reportedly from: Memphis, Egypt
Medium
Papyrus, ink, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
14 x 293 in. (35.6 x 744.2 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.1777E
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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Frequent Art Questions
What was the ink in this Book of the Dead text made from?
The black ink was made from carbon and water, the red ink was made from ochre. The ancient Egyptians used reed brushes and pens to write.Did they choose to write some things in red & others in black for any particular reason, or just to highlight important words?Most of the text was in black, with red used for the titles of spells, opening and closing sections of spells, the instructions to perform spells correctly in rituals, and also for the names of dangerous creatures.What is papyrus?
Papyrus is a tall, reed-like, fresh-water plant that grows along the banks of the Nile River. It was of tremendous importance for the ancient Egyptian civilization, serving many uses. The most significant use was as a raw material for the production of paper (as early as 3100 BCE). There are a number of examples of it in our galleries. The Book of the Dead is one--it's an amazing object.What else is papyrus used for?
To make paper from the Cyperus papyrus plant, they would have first soaked the stalks in order to remove the green rind and then split them into thin strips. These strips of soft pith were arranged into vertical and horizontal layers, then pounded with a stone or mallet and dried to form a single sheet which was rubbed with a stone or shell to create a smooth texture for the application of ink or paint. Papyrus sheets were joined together in long rolls that could be over a hundred feet long. That was the basic use, for writing. And in fact it was one of the most valuable items Ancient Egypt traded with foreign lands. The term paper actually comes from "papyrus" from the Latin paper-reed.What direction did ancient Egyptians write? And do you know why?They wrote both horizontally and vertically, though primarily they wrote right to left. You always read into the faces of the people and animals. I can direct you to a really interesting information panel in the middle galleries of the Egyptian collection which speaks about the use of hieroglyphics and their complexity if you'd like to learn more about the process of writing.What is this picture of?
I had to ask the curator on this one, and here is their answer, it's quite interesting!:"This vignette is sometimes accompanied by its own separate text, known as Chapter 126, while in other papyri it serves as one of the illustrations for Chapter 125. The six fire signs that surround the rectangular field help demarcate it as a lake or pool of fire that the deceased must pass to gain entrance to the Underworld. In the text that sometimes accompanying the vignette, the four baboons are described as divine guardians found in the prow of the solar boat of Re. It is to them that the deceased makes his appeal to be allowed entrance and access to the Underworld."In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, is this "cursive" form of Egyptian hieroglyphs considered a precursor to modern Arabic scripts?
That's an amazing question! The cursive form, called Hieratic, was found primarily in religious texts, like the Book of the Dead.I've studied a little bit of Arabic, and the visual similarity of the script and some words is very striking.That's a very interesting similarity! However, hieroglyphs are a different writing system from Arabic. Thus, cursive hieroglyphs are not a precursor to Arabic.Thank you.What kind of black ink do they use to write on papyrus?
The black ink used was created by mixing soot with water.Was the Book of the Dead read horizontally, up and down or left to right? Or long ways, left to right or up and down?
This Book of the Dead is read down from right to left. We have a curator who is currently working on a translation and publication of the full text of that Book of the Dead, we are all anxious to see it when it's complete!Wow, what a huge assignment!I know, I can't imagine working on such a project. It will be a huge asset to scholars everywhere once it is complete!What is the significance of the text in red in the Book of the Dead vs the text in black?
I see you're looking very closely at the Book of the Dead, red text signifies the title of a spell or similarly important words within the document.Are the colors on the paper original or are they rewritten with colors believed to be used back then?
The colors are original, with red being used for the titles of spells.Amazing, thank you!You're welcome!Who was Sobekmose?
Sobekmose appears to have been a gold worker, otherwise known as a goldsmith.Oh ok. I thought he may have a more, "honorable" title, like a scribe of the pharaoh or a philosopher.Gold smiths were a skilled labor force, so they would have been relatively high on the social scale of ancient Egypt. From what I see here, the papyrus translates to "Gold Worker of Amun", so it's likely that he worked in a temple of the god Amun, a very prominent deity.You are looking at a fascinating and important papyrus scroll. The Book of the Dead was a key piece of tomb equipment for New Kingdom era Egyptians; the "book" provides instructions and prayers that pertain to the arduous journey from the world of the living to the world of the dead. Each manuscript pulls from a collection of around 200 "chapters" or "spells" and is specifically tailored to the book's owner, in this case, a prominent goldsmith named Sobekmose. This example is remarkably complete and one of our curators is currently working on publishing the text.
This is very interesting, thank you. Do you know at what age he started this scroll?Sobekmose would not have written the scroll himself, he would have commissioned a professional scribe to do it for him. As a prestigious, skilled artisan he would have been able to afford such a commission.Got it. Do you when the scroll will be published?The last I heard, it is due out in 2016, so hopefully soon!Thank you! I am learning so many things today.You're welcome, I'm glad!Why is the Book of Dead curved?
That's an interesting question! I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I can tell you that papyrus was hand-made by the Egyptians using reeds and I'm sure it was difficult to ensure a perfectly rectangular piece of papyrus, especially one this size! It also has likely been warped over the years as it would have been rolled up and placed in with a mummy for centuries.The Book of the Dead, So amazing to have such an early writing survive in this condition. Where was it found?
It is pretty exciting! Thanks to the Egypt's dry arid climate many examples of papyrus and plant-based materials survive to this day. Pair that with the Egyptian belief was that the dead needed all the things a living person needs (food, clothes, games etc.) there are a plethora of objects that were created but were never physically used. This copy of the Book of the Dead was reportedly found in Saqqara, which was the primary burial site near Memphis (now known as Cairo).It would have belonged to (or it still belongs to) Sobekmose, who held the title "Goldworker of Amun;" which means he was a goldsmith, and he likely worked in a temple to the god Amun, the most prominent deity of the New Kingdom period.When in Egyptian history was the discovery and fascination of the "Milky Way" and galaxy best recognized to take place?
What a detail to pick up on! The curators chose to use the term "Milky Way" so visitors today would know what the text was referring to. The Ancient Egyptians had a different name for the celestial body.As far as when the Egyptians gained interest in what we call the "Milky Way," the fascination likely dates back as long as people were looking into the night sky. Before artificial lights the band of the galaxy that we see from Earth was actually very easy to see on a clear night. The Ancient Egyptians named constellations according to deities and mythology much in the way the Ancient Greeks did. The mythology of the night sky predates writing so we don't know when exactly it started, but certainly more than 5000 years ago!What does this say?
The Book of the Dead is a compilation of instructions and prayers that are designed to help a deceased person to make the journey from the world of the living (here on earth) to the world of the dead, which the Ancient Egyptians called Duat.Egyptian hieroglyphs can be written in any direction and the way this text is arranged indicates that it would be read from top to bottom. The red text shows the titles of specific spells or other important words within the document.A translation of this Book of the Dead of the Goldworker of Amun, Sobekmose was just published!What's the origin of the term Memphis?
Memphis is a Greek rendering of an ancient Egyptian city name that sounded something like Men-nefer. Men-nefer was a major city at the junction of Upper and Lower Egypt, near modern Cairo. It was the first capital of a unified Egypt and, more relevant to Sobekmose, was important to the Ancient Egyptian religion. Memphis was the primary city of several important deities like Ptah. Also, Saqqara, where Sobekmose was buried, is a cemetery associated with ancient Men-nefer.What language is this script?
The language is known as Middle Egyptian. It is written in handwritten cursive form of hieroglyphs, Hieratic.What is this picture of in the book of the dead?
Those are four baboons who are divine guardians found on the solar boat of the sun god Re. The dead have to appeal to them to be allowed entrance to the afterlife. Next to the baboons are six fire signs that surround the rectangle, this is a representation of the lake of fire the the dead must pass to enter the afterlife.Is that true that the book of the dead contains some form of the Ten Commandments founded in the Bible?
Many texts found in the Hebrew Bible can be traced to earlier traditions including ancient Egypt! Scholars have drawn connections between the part of the Book of the Dead where the deceased recounts to the gods all the crimes he did not commit and the crimes the Hebrews are instructed against in the Ten Commandments.Thank you!!!Tell me more.
One of the gems of the museum! The Book of the Dead was a key piece of tomb equipment for New Kingdom era Egyptians; the "book" provides instructions and prayers that pertain to the arduous journey from the world of the living to the world of the dead.Each example pulls from a collection of around 200 "chapters" or "spells" and is specifically tailored to the book's owner, in this case, a prominent goldsmith named Sobekmose. This "book" is written with reed brushes in mineral-based inks on a 24-foot long papyrus scroll. Although many of these "Books" exist, this particular example is significant for its completeness and also for its relatively early date.Thank you!There's a lot of characters, how would they fix it if they messed up?
There were not a lot of easy fixes for handwritten documents in ancient Egypt. Scribes held an important position within ancient Egyptian society and were very well-trained. It doesn't hurt that the text of the Book of the Dead was almost all programmatic, so they would have had something to copy from. There is a way to wash the ink off of the papyrus though, this was usually employed if a piece was to be completely erased and reused.The pressure!¿Este texto del Libro de los Muertos, explica como pasar de esta vida hacia la otra?
Mas o menos si, es una guía para el fallecido para ayudarle navegar el inframundo y llegar a la tierra de la muerte.Esta parte en particular es capitulo 150 del libro. En el inframundo, el fallecido tiene que superar los demonios y pasar por paisajes peligrosos. Este capitulo detalla los nombres de algunos de los demonios y los paisajes peligrosos para preparar el fallecido y ayudarle en su viaje.Perfecto, gracias.Can you tell me about the Book of the Dead?
Absolutely! Sobekmose's Book of the Dead, which you see in our gallery, is one of the oldest and most complete examples from ancient Egypt. The Book of the Dead is constructed of "chapters" which contain spells and advice to help the deceased on his journey to the afterlife. Plus this one was just published in a new book at the end of last year!Was it published in English?Yes! It's called "An Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Sobekmose," it was written by Paul O'Rourke and it is available in our shop.How do people today understand the language that they use on this long paper?
Ancient Egyptian writing and language have been deciphered due to the efforts of scholars! You may have heard of the Rosetta Stone that has the same inscription in Hieroglyphs, an other version of Egyptian writing called Demotic, and in Greek. These inscriptions helped scholars to understand most of the ancient Egyptian language.Paul O'Rourke, a research associate here at the museum, recently published a full translation of the Book of the Dead of Sobekmose which is available in our shop.De que trata este papiro ?
Es un extracto del Book of the Dead, una colleccion de hechizos para ayudar al fallecido en su vida del mas alla. En este parte en particular, parace que esta activando varios partes del cuerpo del fallecido (su boca, su corazon, su ojos, sus piernas, etc) para que los puede usar en su vida eterna.Book of Dead
Are you looking at the Book of the Dead we have on display in our Mummy Chamber? The Book of the Dead was a set of prayers and instructions to assist the dead during their journey from the world of the living to the world of the dead.Yes, Is fantasticDo you notice how many of the words are written in red ink?YesThe red indicated the beginning and closing of a spell. This allowed the spells to be performed correctly in rituals. Red was also used for the names of dangerous creatures!Thank you very much!!!What does red ink mean in the Book of Dead papyrus?
Red ink was used at the beginning and end of spells and was also used to write the names of titles and certain monsters. This made sure that the spells were read correctly.What is the symbolism of these birds in the Mummy Chamber? It looks like a black own with a snake on its head.
It sounds like your describing a falcon possibly representing Horus or Re. Could you send an accession number found on the object's label?It's on the Book of the Dead and on the Canopic Chest.Thanks! Yes that is definitely a falcon. On the Canopic Chest, the bird is a symbol of the god Horus; the four sons of Horus were the guardians of the canopic jars.On the Book of the Dead, if you see the falcon head with a sun-disk and cobra on his head, he is a symbol of Re, the sun god. He can been see on the Book of the Dead in his solar boat ready to make a journey across the sky.That's cool thanks for the info! We are also wondering if there is a moon god. If you give us their name we can look it up!There is indeed a moon god! The primary deity associated with the moon in ancient Egypt was Khonsu. He was the child of Amun, a very important deity in the New Kingdom and after, and his consort, Mut, a mother goddess associated with the earth.How many Books of the Dead still exist besides the one here? Do you have rough estimate at least?
It looks like as of 2006 (the latest estimate I can find so far) there were over 3500 manuscripts of the Book of the Dead known to researchers, though much of this number is likely made up of fragments.I was wondering why certain pieces made on papyrus are protected from the light with a veil, but this Book of the Dead on papyrus is not covered in the same way.
The Book of the dead papyrus is actually in a space where the lights are motion activated. If no one is in the space, the papyrus is in the dark. Only when someone enters that corridor, do the lights turn on! You may have also noticed that the light in this galley is MUCH darker overall.Neat! Thank you!What is the difference between Sobekmose and Sobek?
Sobekmose is the name of the owner of this particular Book of the Dead. He was a real person whose name is an extension of the name of the god Sobek. Sobekmose roughly translates to "begotten by Sobek."Oh Cool.How is the ancient Egyptian language structured? What language family is it a part of?
It was part of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Some modern Afro-Asiatic languages include Hebrew, Arabic, and the berber languages of Morocco. The Ancient Egyptian language was spoken and written as early as the fourth millennium B.C.E.What is the significance of the red ink in the book of the dead
Just like we might use red ink today, the ancient Egyptians highlighted important parts of the text and make it stand out against the black. Names of chapters, beginnings of spells, and even the names of monsters are written in red. The red ink is made from red ochre, a form of highly decayed limestone that is bright red and powdery. The black ink is carbon black made from charcoal.I have a question about the Book of the Dead! Are the excerpts on the wall a direct translation or the closest we can get to the actual translation?
It is a pretty direct translation. Scholars have a good handle on the ancient Egyptian language and the Book of the Dead includes many standardized texts.Is there a reason as to why it slightly curves? Is that just from wear and tear over the years?
Interestingly, many long papyrus scrolls like this one include a curve like this. We aren't sure if this was part of the original construction of the sheet or they way the material had aged.Very interesting, thank you!How was the hieratic script developed and in which period was it used the most? Do other languages stem from it?
Hieratic is often described as a cursive form of hieroglyphs and they begin to appear in the archaeological record around the same time. Both styles influenced several later writing systems. Hieratic's direct descendant was Demotic!Another interesting connection is that early Hebrew used hieratic numerals.What's Demotic?Demotic is like a later version of hieratic. It is one of the writing systems found on the Rosetta Stone (in addition to hieroglyphs and Greek)!Does its color fade over time? Was the papyrus found in this condition?
The colors in the inks and paints won't really fade. The blues and greens have actually darkened. Mineral pigments tend to keep their color so long as the paint itself doesn't flake off.Of much greater concern is the papyrus itself, it is very delicate and light sensitive.This book came to the museum rolled up. It was unrolled in our conservation lab. The document did require some repairs to join all of its fragments together. Conservators conducted extensive experimentation—including making their our papyrus from reeds grown in the botanic gardens next door—to make sure they got it right!What does this mean?
This image that you just sent depicts Chapter 150, which describes fifteen mounds and their associated monsters that the deceased must pass successfully to reach the afterlife.What does this mean?
This image, referred to as the Lake of Fire, is a visual replacement for Chapter 126. The red signs around the rectangle indicate fire. The black figures are the Baboons of the Four Directions. This is another example of an obstacle the deceased has to overcome on the journey to the afterlife.What does this mean?
You'll notice that much of the "Book" is made up of text. The type of writing you see in the case is traditional Egyptian hieroglyphs of prayers, instructions, and advice for the journey.On the wall, you'll see a photo of the back side of the papyrus. The text is a continuation of what you see on the front, but is written in hieratic, which is kind of like cursive for hieroglyphs.Ok thanksWhat's going on here?
The ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead was a set of spells and instructions to assist the dead on their journey to the afterlife. Here, some of the nearly 200 chapters have been replaced with visual representations.This vignette replaces Chapter 150 which describes 15 mounds and their associated monsters that the deceased must pass on their way to the afterlife. The text in these shapes names the mounds.I don't get the long yellow paper.
Do you mean the Book of the Dead? It's a long papyrus scroll that has been unrolled so we can see all the writing on one side of it. Each Book of the Dead is made up of spells and instructions to help the dead journey to the afterlife.The side that you can see in the case is written in hieroglyphs. The other side, which is pictured on the wall, is written in a cursive form of hieroglyphs called hieratic.When would the Egyptians employ the vertical writing of hieroglyphics vs. the horizontal hieratic lines? Is one considered more formal or prestigious?
Most of that depends on the composition of the whole scene. The ancient Egyptians didn't distinguish as much as we did between images and text and often time the orientation of the text (vertical vs horizontal) was determined by what looked the most pleasing when combined with other elements like images and or even the shape of the object that were being inscribed on. Hieroglyphs were indeed the most formal writing system in ancient Egypt.Thank you!
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