Papyrus Referring to the Hall of Judgment

There are four papyri of which the last bears a description of the scene in the hall of judgment of the God Osiris. The papyri are inscribed with funerary texts and scenes relating to death and the afterlife and are considered to be guide books to the Netherworld, helping the deceased to overcome all the difficulties he would have to face in his voyage in the Netherworld.

These inscriptions have many names, The Book of the Dead, The Book of Gates, or The Book of Caverns. From left to right, the first papyrus is decorated with chapters from "The Book of Gates" and a scene depicting Osiris wearing his white shroud; behind him are shown his two sisters the Goddesses, Isis and Nephthys, while in front of him the deceased is offering an incense vase to him.

The second and third papyri are decorated with funeral texts with figures representing the deceased, the gods of the Netherworld and some deities including Thoth, with the head of an ibis, and Horus with the head of a falcon.

The fourth papyrus is the most important because it shows the hall of judgment of Osiris, who is seated on his throne supervising and following the weighing of the heart of the deceased, who was purified with water before entering the hall, against the feather of the goddess of justice, Maat, since the heart is regarded as the center of the intelligence and personality.

Below the scales of justice, an imaginary animal is represented, waiting to eat the heart of the deceased, in case it should be full of sin and consequently heavier than the feather.