Inscribed Mummy Bandage

Mummy bandage of Hepu (Hpw), born of Takhaau (tA-xAaw), inscribed with text and vignette from the Book of the Dead. It contains spells 88 and 89 from the Book of the Dead and parts of two other spells. The spells are written in hieratic script from right to left in black ink with red ink at the beginning of each spell. Spell 88 is a formula for taking the form of a crocodile and is illustrated by a vignette of a standing crocodile. Spell 89 is a formula for joining one's ba to one's corpse in the underworld Joseph Sams collection MS p. 38 "Manuscripts, on fine linen, of Egypt, in the hieroglyphic character, a collection of - some also containing figures or drawings (14). Manuscripts, on fine linen, in the Demotic character some also containing figures & curious drawings (12)". Charles Gatty, 'Catalogue of the Mayer Collection' (London, 1879, p. 39) “191. Mummy Wrappings; strip of linen with portions of chapters 88 and 89 of the Ritual of the Dead inscribed upon it in late hieratic writing; the name of the person from whose mummy it came, was Hapu, daughter of Takhaau. In the ’Zeitschrift für Ægyptische Sprache’ for Sept. and Oct., 1872, Dr Birch says of this fragment: “In the Liverpool Museum there is an additional chapter to the transformations in the Book of the Dead inscribed in hieratic upon cloth.” Dr Birch calls this new chapter to the Ritual of the Dead, “The chapter of making the transformation into a crocodile,” being the metempsychosis of the soul into that reptile”.