A group of archaeologists recently announced that a papyrus scroll found last year in Saqqara, 30 km from Cairo, does indeed contain the text of the Book of the Dead. The interesting thing about the find is that the researchers are now foreskin after a century they found a complete scroll. The piece, called the Wazir Papyrus, is currently being translated into Arabic by scholars to learn more about ancient Egyptian culture.
For many people, the Book of the Dead known from the movies comes to mind that the writing was written to resurrect the cursed Egyptian priest, Imhotep, who wants to bring the world under his rule. However, the reality is completely different. The Book of the Dead was a collection of funerary texts and incantations to aid in the journey to the afterlife, not to raise the dead.
Over the centuries, several versions of the book were created, and the spells in it were written according to whom they wanted to help during their journey to the underworld. Thus, the versions were often adapted to the needs of members of royal families or high-ranking people in society. It was originally painted on objects and written on the walls of burial chambers. Over time, the texts were also decorated with pictures, and then papyrus rolls were used to preserve them.
The Saqqara Necropolis served the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, and many pyramids adorn the site, such as the Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser. Over the years, archaeologists have discovered many new tombs, artefacts and mummies during excavations, and are still surprised by the unexpected.
The discovery of the Wazir papyrus dates back to March 2022, when hundreds of ancient tombs were excavated. As a result, archaeologists managed to find 250 coffins, 150 bronze objects and other ancient artifacts. According to the researchers, the discovered objects date back to BC. They can come from around 500. In one of the caskets, they found the papyrus, which was now revealed to contain details of the Book of the Dead. The successfully restored, 16-meter-long artifact is on display for the public at the Great Egyptian Museum.
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