
Papyrus inscribed with six "Osiris Liturgies"
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
This papyrus is dedicated to a Priest of Horus named Imhotep. Divided into 62 columns, it contains 6 separate texts, all designed to provide for the protection and glorification of Osiris, the divine ruler of the realm of the dead. Several of the texts here were originally composed for use in temple contexts, and have been adapted for use by Imhotep by the addition of his name. Imhotep and his father Psintaes (Pasherientaihet) were priests of Horus of Hebenu in Middle Egypt, and his mother Tjehenet was a musician in the cult of Hathor of Cusae, a principal deity of this area. Imhotep's coffins were found at Meir, the cemetery connected with Cusae; this papyrus and Imhotep's Book of Coming Forth by Day (35.9.20a–w) most likely come from his burial. Link to a blog about this papyrus A New Life for the Book of the Dead
Egyptian Art
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.