📜 The Amduat

Overview

The Amduat (meaning "That Which Is in the Underworld") is one of ancient Egypt's most important funerary texts. It describes Ra's twelve-hour journey through the Duat (underworld) during the night, from sunset to sunrise. The text served as a guide for both the sun god and the deceased, mapping the dangers, demons, and transformations of the nocturnal journey toward rebirth.

Structure and Content

The Amduat is divided into twelve sections, one for each hour of the night. Each hour describes:

• The region of the Duat Ra's solar barque traverses
• Deities, spirits, and demons encountered
• Dangers faced and overcome
• Transformations Ra undergoes
• Spells and passwords needed to pass gates
• The state of the deceased who accompany Ra

The Twelve Hours of Night

Hours 1-3: Entry into the Underworld

Hour 1: Ra enters the western horizon as Auf-Ra (flesh of Ra), a ram-headed god. The deceased join his barque, greeted by deities of the first region.

Hour 2: The Wernes region, domain of Osiris. Ra distributes offerings to the blessed dead.

Hour 3: The Waters region. Ra's barque must be towed through shallow waters. Osiris judges the souls who failed in life.

Hours 4-6: Deep Underworld

Hour 4: The difficult passages requiring special knowledge of roads and gates. Guardian serpents bar the way.

Hour 5: Ra visits the tomb of Osiris, hidden in the deepest part of the Duat. Their ba-souls unite briefly.

Hour 6: The solar barque towed by deities. The damned suffer torments here, enemies of Ra are punished.

Hour 7: The Supreme Crisis

Hour 7: Apep (Apophis), the chaos serpent, attacks Ra's barque attempting to swallow the sun and end creation. Set, Isis, and other defenders battle Apep. Magic spells subdue the serpent, binding him with chains. This hour represents the nadir of night, the moment of greatest danger.

Hours 8-10: Approach to Dawn

Hour 8: After defeating Apep, Ra begins ascent toward the eastern horizon. Clothing and adornments prepared for rebirth.

Hour 9: The justified dead receive their kas (life forces) and transform into akh-spirits.

Hour 10: The solar barque enters the waters of Nun, primordial source of regeneration.

Hours 11-12: Rebirth

Hour 11: Final preparations for rebirth. The bodies of the justified dead reassemble. Ra begins transformation from Auf-Ra to Khepri (scarab beetle).

Hour 12: The moment of birth/resurrection. Ra emerges from the eastern horizon as Khepri, reborn. The justified dead emerge with him, resurrected into eternal life. The sky goddess Nut gives birth to the sun.

Purpose and Use

The Amduat served multiple functions:

• Royal Funerary Text: Inscribed in royal tombs (Valley of the Kings) to guide the pharaoh through the underworld
• Cosmic Map: Described the geography and inhabitants of the Duat
• Protective Magic: Knowledge of names, spells, and passwords provided power over demons
• Identification with Ra: Allowed the deceased to merge with the sun god's nightly journey and rebirth
• Theological Teaching: Explained the relationship between Ra, Osiris, death, and resurrection

Artistic Representation

The Amduat is both text and image. Royal tombs contain:

• Detailed illustrations of each hour's region
• Depictions of deities, demons, and blessed/damned souls
• The solar barque with Ra and his defenders
• Apep the serpent being subdued
• Gates, waterways, and geographical features of the Duat

The earliest complete version appears in the tomb of Thutmose I (18th Dynasty, c. 1500 BCE).

Relationship to Other Funerary Texts

The Amduat is part of a larger corpus:

• Book of Gates: Similar text emphasizing the twelve gates of the Duat
• Book of Caverns: Focuses on the caverns and pits of punishment in the underworld
• Book of the Dead: Spells for the deceased to navigate the afterlife, more accessible to non-royals
• Book of the Earth: Later text describing Ra's journey through the body of the earth god

Theological Significance

The Amduat reveals core Egyptian beliefs:

• Death as Transformation: Death is not ending but transition, dangerous but leading to rebirth
• Union of Ra and Osiris: Solar and chthonic deities unite in the underworld (Hour 5), merging resurrection concepts
• Eternal Struggle: Order (ma'at) must perpetually battle chaos (isfet/Apep)
• Knowledge as Power: Secret knowledge of names and spells gives mastery over spiritual dangers
• Cyclical Time: Every night reenacts the cosmic drama of death and rebirth