Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Archaeologists discovered a rare Ancient Egyptian mummy containing the “Book of the Dead” while excavating a 3,500-year-old grave. The book contains mantras to guide spirits to life after death.

Launching from Science Alerta papyrus book found in the Tuna al-Gebel grave, Middle Egypt, in the form of a scroll 13 to 15 meters long.

According to assistant curator in the Department of Remains at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Sara Cole, scrolls were a common component in Ancient Egyptian burials. Additionally, the spells written within the scrolls are a form of “supernatural travel insurance.”

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said that the scroll was not the only treasure found in Tuna al-Gebel. Meanwhile, the Tuna al-Gebel cemetery was built during the New Kingdom, namely around 1550 to 1070 BC (BC).

Apart from the “Book of the Dead”, archaeologists also found mummies, sarcophagi, a number of amulets, and many statues of shabti or ushabti as servants of the deceased in the afterlife.

Based on reports LiveScience, in this tomb archaeologists found several mummies thought to be high-ranking officials of Ancient Egypt. According to archaeologists, several mummies are still inside ornate stone sarcophagi that are still in good condition.

Meanwhile, one of the mummies was the daughter of a high priest, Ta-de-Isa.

Apart from that, archaeologists also found a rare canopy jar made of marble. The jars were used to store spiritually important organs during mummification and thousands of amulets.

According to Egyptologist at the University of Chicago, Foy Scalf, finding a copy of the “Book of the Dead” is not unusual. However, finding one statue still in the original grave is rare.

Until now, Scalf still hasn’t found much information regarding the scroll. According to him, it is difficult to know how important the scrolls are without further research.

According to the British Museum curator for Ancient Egypt and Sudan, John Taylor, the journey to the afterlife was quite difficult for the people of Ancient Egypt. Therefore, the “Book of the Dead” which is placed with the corpse in the grave aims to help the spirit find the way.

Furthermore, one of the things that makes this scroll unique is that rich people could choose which spells they wanted to include in the “Book of the Dead.” In addition, the “Book of the Dead” will only function if the name of the corpse is listed.

However, there are also “Books of the Dead” already written based on templates (templates) so that the name of the deceased can be included in the blank column provided.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(hsy/hsy)