An Excerpt from the Book of the Twelve Caverns in the Tomb of Petosiris (Tuna el-Gebel)

Abstract

The Book of the Twelve Caverns is a litany of the deities who dwelled in these regions of the ancient Egyptian underworld. This cosmographic composition, which is among the Books of the Netherworld, helped the deceased traverse the caverns of the Duat and receive diverse benefits when it was used in a funerary context. It has been attested on a variety of media (papyri, mummy wrappings, etc.). One of these sources is a depiction from the tomb of Petosiris—high priest of Thoth in Hermopolis—located at Tuna el-Gebel in Middle Egypt. This article will focus on the main features of this pars pro toto example, the adaptation of the book to this specific context, as well as the model used, which marked the history of the transmission of the composition: the Osireion of Abydos.