Coming forth by day

The north of Africa is burning these weeks, in a complex and concatenated series of violent demonstrations, riots and clashing between the people and governmental forces in Tunicia first, and Egypt now. Ben Ali's cleptocracy in Tunicia seems to have fallen, though the future is uncertain, and Mubarak's regime, which has been ruling the country since 1981, is now at stake. Morocco is assimilating the lesson in advance. From my point of view, the spark in Tunicia was that guy who put himself in fire in December, finally dying 2 weeks afterwards. This little, though terrible self-immolation did unravel a huge tidal of enormous proportions. I don't think this is the first time that happens, nor will be the last. Masses only need and emotion to move into action, in fire. From my point of view, facebook, twiter and youtube just work as channels in the conflict, but haven't any other relevance (as some has pointed out) than that of acting as huge catalysts, spreading feelings and conveying emotions in a flash. To issue restrictions or bans on their use and cutting-off communications will only feed the rage of the beast.

My ignorance on these topics is supine, though. I haven't the slightest idea about what is happening, nor now, nor in the past, ever, but ignorance is daring, as you all know, and I venture to speak.

***

Precisely in a moment when Egypt is in turmoil, I spend a couple of hours this evening walking the ancient Egyptian Book of the Death exhibition at the British Museum. I did not enjoy it as much as I'd wished (Friday evening, you are tired, I had to carry a bag, and rooms are dim-lighted as to protect the papyri, of course), but I was enlightened about few, simple ideas, which is always satisfying and fulfilling.

I loved a piece of amulet, the Heart Scarab, set in a mould made of gold and the beetle's body of green, beautiful jasper with, apparently, a human head carved on it (I can't see it). It belonged to King Sobkemsaf II from the 17th Dynasty (c. 1590 BC). It is just so nice and very tiny. The picture you can look at below is about the same size as that of the real piece. I love it. It will help the spirits of the king walk through the ordeal of the Afterlife and reach the Eternal Life by sealing his heart and keep it silent during "The Judgement of the Death".

Heart Scarab (British Museum), with spell no. 30, c. 1590 BC.

It was robbed in c. 1125 BC.

The confession of the robbery provided much information about the "procedure usually followed"

And this also I liked it much. The scene is illustrated for example in the famous (as they say) Ani's Book of the Dead. The dead shows up for judgement. Thoth and Osiris, as a couple of first-year students are weighing the king's heart, which rest on the left plate of the balance, alone and red. Its mass is weighed against an ostrich feather reposing on the right plate!

After that, the dead undergoes "The Declaration of Innocence", a collection of 42 statements (as negative confessions), addressed to as many Gods, declaring his righteousness. Along with the illustrations, immediately before the beginning of the judgement, spell no.30, is written:

1 "O my heart which I had from my mother!
2  O my heart which I had from my mother!
3  O my heart of my different ages!
4  Do not stand up as a witness against me,
5  in the presence of the Keeper of the Balance,
6  for you are my ka which was in my body,
7  the protector who made my members hale
8  Go forth to the happy place whereto we speed;
9  do not make my name stink to the Entourage who make men.
10 Do not tell lies about me in the presence of the god;
11 it is indeed well that you should hear!"
(Translation: R.O. Faulkner. The British Museum Press).

The declaration of righteousness (spell no.125) is very detailed and some of the gods look terribly fearsome (I quote only some of them):

O Nosey (...), I have not been rapacious;
O Swallower of shades (...), I have not stolen;
O Fiery Eyes (...), I have done no crookedness;
O Bone-breaker (...), I have not told lies;
O You of the cavern (...), I have not been sullen;
O Eater of entrails (...), I have not committed perjury;
O Wanderer (...), I have not eavesdropped;
O Pale one (...), I have not babbled;
O You who see whom you bring (...), I have not misbehaved;
O Disturber (...), I have not been hot-tempered;
O Youth (...), I have not been deaf to words of truth;
O Foreteller (...), I have not made disturbance;
O You of the altar (...), I have not hoodwinked;
O Hot-foot (...), I have not been neglectful;
O You of the darkness (...), I have not been quarrelsome;
O Owner of faces (...), I have not been impatient;
O Nefertum (...), I have not done wrong;
O Water-smiter (...) I have not been loud voiced;
O Bestower of powers (...), I have not made distinctions for myself.
(Translation: R.O. Faulkner. The British Museum Press).

I understand completely now why so many precautions were taken to seal the mouth of the Heart: who has not told lies or deceived? Who has not been sullen? Who has not ever eavesdropped? Who has not talked too much? Who has not be disturbance and quarrelsome? Who has not been lazy and neglectful? Who has not been impatient? Who has not thought be better than anybody else? Who has not talked raising his voice?

In a sense, asking the heart to remain silence can be interpreted as a form of perjury _The Eater of entrails would be upset to know that the very sentence of "I have not committed perjury" is, indeed, perjuricious.

I try not to rely on interpretations, though (a couple more comes to my mind now), but to feel. The feeling is wondrous, startling. The whole of both spells (no.30 and no.125) is full of humanity, full of richness. The poetry, powerful. I even dare to say that I see sense of humor! Perhaps it is too much too say _the first recording of a laugh is Sarah's laugh, Abraham's daughter, in the book of Genesis, which dates, if I am right, in 1000 BC, centuries after these spells were composed.

Egyptian Blue Lotus Flower

I could be writing today for ever, don't have to get up as much early tomorrow and took plenty of notes: "The Opening of the Mouth Ceremony"; the ba spirit leaving the mummified body during the day, coming forth by day, and flying away into the sky and the land of the living, just to come back at night to join the body, as the lotus flower opens up everyday as soon as it is touched by the light of sun; or the impressive Greenfield Papyrus (930 BC) in honor of Nesitanebisheru, daughter of a high-positioned priest in Thebes and Upper Egypt, one of the most powerful women at the time. Its length is 37 m! I particularly liked a drawing portraying a huge naked female figure, all bent forming an arch (she is the sky goddess, Nut). Underneath, a god stands up with raised arms and hands as supporting the body of the woman, and holding out the sky; and a second god is kneed as to represent the current affairs of men and women on earth. The drawing is neat and like it very much.

Let me finish by pointing out at one very interesting comment of my audio guide. The Hunefer's Book of Dead is conserved complete and dates around 1285 BC. Hunefer was a scribe, among other things, from Thebes. The period was rich in fine books of dead but Hunefer's is a slavish copy without any freshness, full of errors and mistakes. Indeed, a MTO papyrus (make-to-order) could be quite expensive, as MTOs normally are today compared to standard products. Scribe must have been a prosperous profession as not too-wealthy people would ordered standard copies of the book of dead with blank spaces to fill the specific name of the buyer.

Anyhow, the number of errors and misunderstandings in Hunefer's book of dead shows a true different side of that civilization, which is not normally associated with. A quite-developed society, no doubt, but more human and less mystified.

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