The Saqqara Necropolis served as the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis and has numerous pyramids. Over the years, archaeologists have uncovered many tombs, artifacts, and mummies here. In March 2022, they discovered five 4,000-year-old tombs in the Ancient Animal Cemetery, finding 250 painted wooden sarcophagi with all the mummies and 150 statuettes of various gods. There was also a collection of cosmetics, bronze vessels, and a sistra (percussion musical instrument).

What is known about the text

In one of the sarcophagi discovered in March, there was a papyrus scroll, according to the researchers. it was about 9 meters in size and contained a chapter from the Book of the Dead written in hieroglyphics. It was sent to the Egyptian Museum laboratory in Cairo for further study.

After the papyrus is fully restored, its actual size was 16 meters. And now scientists have confirmed that the scroll does indeed contain spells from the Book of the Dead. They say this is the first find in a century of a fully preserved scroll.

According to Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Antiquities, the papyrus will be unveiled at the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo this year.

What is the Book of the Dead really?

• The Book of the Dead is not really a book. It does not have a single copy as shown in some fantasy movies about ancient Egypt.
• Over the centuries, there have been many versions of individual papyrus or scrolls. All of them are unique and there are a number of spells that are often tailored to the specific needs of deceased royal family and high-ranking members of Egyptian society.
• These “books” were collections of funerary texts and spells to assist the dead in their journey through the underworld (Duat). They were not considered sacred texts like the Bible or the Koran.
• At first they were drawn on objects or written on the walls of burial chambers. Over time, pictures were added to these, and spells were written in the coffins or linen shrouds in which the dead were wrapped.
• Of the 192 spells known today, none is a single manuscript containing them all.
• The most famous example today is the Ani Papyrus, found in Luxor in 1888 and now in the British Museum. But such finds are becoming increasingly rare.