Description
Heart scarab. An oval flat piece of basalt, unmarked on one side, with eight horizonal lines of hieroglyphs on the other.Inscription
Chapter 30b from "Book of the Dead" is inscribed on one side of the stone.Notes
Alan ColeThe heart was left inside the body during the mummification process as this was considered to be connected with memory and emotion. In order for the deceased to pass into the afterlife, the heart was weighed against the feather of truth. During burial, heart scarabs were placed over the heart of the corpse. Chapter 30b of the _Book of the Dead_ would be inscribed on the underside of these heart scarabs to ensure the safe passage of the deceased. Ex Astarte Gallery.
This is one of only two known basalt, flat heart scarabs, the other is in Berlin (per British Museum)
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