Fragments of Book of the Dead for Semminis–A, circa 300–100 BC

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Fragments of Book of the Dead for Semminis–A, circa 300–100 BC
Source Note

Fragments of Book of the Dead for Semminis, [Thebes, present-day Luxor, Egypt, ca. 300–100 bc];
1
Rhodes, Books of the Dead, 7, 11.
Comprehensive Works Cited
Rhodes, Michael D. Books of the Dead Belonging to Tshemmin and Neferirnub: A Translation and Commentary. Studies in the Book of Abraham 4. Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 2010.
hieratic characters and small vignettes; Egyptian Papyri, CHL. Includes archival markings.

Two irregularly sized papyrus fragments, one of which has been cut into two pieces. The upper right fragment measures, at its largest, 5 × 2⅞ inches (13 × 7 cm). The L-shaped fragment (which has been cut in two) measures, at its largest, 10¾ × 6½ inches (27 × 17 cm). Shortly after JS and others acquired the papyri in July 1835, the two fragments were pasted onto a paper backing, apparently to preserve them. The L-shaped fragment was pasted on the bottom and left of the paper backing and the other fragment on the upper right of the paper backing. This nineteenth-century paper backing measures 11½–10⅝ × 8 inches (29–27 × 20 cm). The top edge of the backing has remnants of an inked character, perhaps a 2, similar to what is found on Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos–B. Residue from glue on the backing indicates that smaller scraps of papyrus were also mounted to the backing and then lost. A small scrap of newsprint—containing the text “yanc◊ as” and a vertical line serving as a column marker—is adhered to the edge of the upper portion of the L-shaped fragment. At an unknown time, the paper backing holding two fragments was cut roughly in half horizontally, creating two pieces. The top half, known to scholars as fragment VII, contains the top portion of the L-shaped fragment and the complete upper right fragment, which are both attached to a backing now measuring 6 × 6 inches (15 × 15 cm). Given the unequal size of the top and bottom halves of the original backing, it is possible additional papyrus fragments were pasted to the upper half of the paper backing. The top portion of the L-shaped fragment now measures 5 × 3 inches (13 × 8 cm) at its largest, and the bottom portion, known to scholars as fragment VIII, now measures 5¾ × 6½ inches (15 × 17 cm) at its largest. The backing for the bottom portion of the L-shaped fragment measures 5½–4⅝ × 8 inches (14–12 × 20 cm). The bottom edge of the bottom piece bears evidence of having been partially cut with a razor or other sharp edge. Written in graphite on the verso of the backing are the numbers 6 and 5. These numbers roughly correspond to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art accession numbers for these fragments.
2
The accession numbers were mistakenly switched when written on the fragments. The correct accession number for the top portion is 5, and the correct accession number for the bottom portion is 6. (Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 78.)
Ritner, Robert K. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, P. JS 1–4 and the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Salt Lake City: Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2011.

For provenance of the papyri, see Source Note for Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos–A, between 238 and ca. 153 bc.
Footnotes
[1]
Rhodes, Books of the Dead, 7, 11.
[2]
The accession numbers were mistakenly switched when written on the fragments. The correct accession number for the top portion is 5, and the correct accession number for the bottom portion is 6. (Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 78.)
Historical Introduction
These fragments bear portions of chapters 53 and 54 (on the upper right fragment) and portions of chapters 57, 63, 65, 67, 70, and 72 and possibly chapter 59 (on the L-shaped fragment) of the Book of the Dead for Semminis. According to Egyptologists, these spells were intended to ensure food, water, and breath for the dead, as well as “free movement between the tomb, the underworld, selected sacred sites and the earth in general.”
1
Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 166–175; Rhodes, Books of the Dead, 36–42.
The backing also bears one small scrap of papyrus containing portions of chapters 75, 76, and 77 of the Book of the Dead for Semminis.
2
Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 275, 281.

See also Introduction to Egyptian Papyri, ca. 300–100 bc.
Footnotes
[1]
Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 166–175; Rhodes, Books of the Dead, 36–42.
[2]
Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 275, 281.
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Editorial Title
Fragments of Book of the Dead for Semminis–A, circa 300–100 BC
ID #
18164
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, R4:12–13
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