Spell 126, 4 Baboons Around Lake of Fire (Book of the Dead for the Singer of Amun, Nany) 1050 BC

"Spell 126, 4 Baboons Around Lake of Fire (Book of the Dead for the Singer of Amun, Nany)" is an ancient Egyptian papyrus scroll from the 11th century BC, currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The scroll is a "Book of the Dead," containing spells and illustrations meant to guide the deceased through the afterlife. This particular spell depicts the journey of the soul through the underworld, including a scene with four baboons flanking a fiery lake, symbolic of the dangerous trials awaiting the soul. The intricate hieroglyphs on the papyrus scroll are testament to the ancient Egyptians' sophisticated understanding of the afterlife and their complex beliefs surrounding death and resurrection.