Papyrus Paintings depicting Miscellaneous Egyptian
Scenes
Egyptian Art showing pictures of Ancient Egyptian ceremonies,
copied by artists from the original paintings found
on tomb walls.
These beautiful works of art are available to purchase
from Egyptian Dreams, a company specialising in supplying
gifts
from Ancient Egypt.
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Hand Painted Papyrus of the Weighing
of the Heart Ceremony
The ancient Egyptians believed that, when they died, they
would be judged on their behaviour during their lifetime
before they could be granted a place in the Afterlife.
This judgement ceremony was called the Weighing of the
Heart. The ceremony was believed to have been performed
in front of Osiris, the chief god of the dead and the
Afterlife, and a tribunal of 42 dieties. A giant scale
would weigh the deceased's heart against the principle
of truth and justice (maat), represented by a feather,
the symbol of the goddess of truth, order and justice,
Maat. If the heart balanced against the feather then the
deceased would be granted a place in the Fields of Hetep
and Iaru. If it was heavy with the weight of wrongdoings,
the balance would sink, and the heart would be grabbed
and devoured by a terrifying beast that sat ready and
waiting by the scales. This beast was Ammit ('the gobbler'),
a composite animal with the head of a crocodile, the front
legs and body of a lion or leopard and the back legs of
a hippopotamus. Once the heart was devoured, the deceased
would cease to exist - an idea which terrified the ancient
Egyptians. |
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