---
title: The Judgement of the Dead by Osiris
author: Trustees of the British Museum
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/504/the-judgement-of-the-dead-by-osiris/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 2024-07-19
---

# The Judgement of the Dead by Osiris

_Authored by Trustees of the British Museum_

## Image File

[![The Judgement of the Dead by Osiris](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/504.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/504.jpg)

## Image Caption

The judgement of the dead in the presence of [Osiris](https://www.worldhistory.org/osiris/), from the [Book of the Dead](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Book_of_the_Dead/) of Hunefer, from [Thebes](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Thebes/), [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/), 19th Dynasty, c. 1275 BCE. 
 
The scene reads from left to right. To the left, [Anubis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Anubis/) brings Hunefer into the judgement area. Anubis is also shown supervising the judgement scales. Hunefer's heart, represented as a pot, is being weighed against a feather, the symbol of [Ma'at](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ma'at/), the established order of things, in this context meaning 'what is right'. The [ancient Egyptians](https://www.worldhistory.org/collection/162/the-ancient-egyptians/) believed that the heart was the seat of the emotions, the intellect, and the character, and thus represented the good or bad aspects of a person's life. If the heart did not balance with the feather, then the dead person was condemned to non-existence, and consumption by the ferocious 'devourer', the strange beast shown here, which is part-crocodile, part-lion, and part-hippopotamus. 
 
However, as a papyrus devoted to ensuring Hunefer's continued existence in the afterlife is not likely to depict this outcome, he is shown to the right, brought into the presence of Osiris by his son [Horus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Horus/), having become 'true of voice' or 'justified'. This was a standard epithet applied to dead individuals in their texts. Osiris is shown seated under a canopy, with his sisters [Isis](https://www.worldhistory.org/isis/) and [Nephthys](https://www.worldhistory.org/Nephthys/). At the top, Hunefer is shown adoring a row of deities who supervise the judgement.

The British Museum, London.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Museum, T. o. t. B. (2012, April 26). The Judgement of the Dead by Osiris. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/504/the-judgement-of-the-dead-by-osiris/>
### Chicago
Museum, Trustees of the British. "The Judgement of the Dead by Osiris." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 26, 2012. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/504/the-judgement-of-the-dead-by-osiris/>.
### MLA
Museum, Trustees of the British. "The Judgement of the Dead by Osiris." *World History Encyclopedia*, 26 Apr 2012, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/504/the-judgement-of-the-dead-by-osiris/>.

## License & Copyright

© Trustees of the [British Museum](http://www.britishmuseum.org/). Republished under the British Museum [Standard Terms of Use](http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_this_site/terms_of_use.aspx) for non-profit educational purposes. [Original image](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/p/page_from_the_book_of_the_dead.aspx) by [**Trustees of the British Museum**](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/p/page_from_the_book_of_the_dead.aspx). Submitted by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/ "User Page: Jan van der Crabben"), published on 26 April 2012. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Copyright](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright). You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.