Egyptian Funerary and Afterlife Deities

This group gathers ancient Egyptian artworks and funerary texts tied to the journey of the dead through the underworld, the Duat, and the judgment that determined a soul's fate. Osiris, lord of the afterlife, presided over this judgment, while Anubis, shown here as a recumbent canid, guarded embalming and guided the dead to the scales. The Book of the Dead was a collection of spells written on papyrus, such as the papyri of Ani and Hunefer, meant to help the deceased navigate the Duat's dangers and reach a favorable verdict before Osiris's tribunal. Together these objects illustrate ancient Egypt's rituals and beliefs surrounding death, judgment and the passage into eternal life.