These mounds are illustrated at the far right of the scroll.įragmentary Papyrus with Spells and Vignettes from the Book of the Dead (detail), 1450–1380 B.C. The papyrus, which belonged to a woman named Ra-webenes, includes Spell 149, in which the deceased encounters 14 “mounds” in the afterlife, each of which has its own inhabitants. The earliest text we own is an 18th Dynasty papyrus that was made sometime around 1450–1380 B.C., during the height of Egypt’s New Kingdom. Getty’s collection spans a wide timeframe, which provides an exciting opportunity to examine how the Book of the Dead evolved for more than 1,000 years, and how it was used by the Egyptians. Google Arts & Culture Digital Feature: The Getty Book of the Dead: Ancient Egyptian Funerary Texts in the J. Vignettes often illustrated key points in the text, as in the example from Spell 125 illustrated above, in which the deceased has his heart weighed in the presence of Osiris. By the New Kingdom, around 1550–1069 B.C., scribes started writing Book of the Dead spells on papyrus scrolls. The group that we call the Book of the Dead developed from spells that were first inscribed on scarabs and coffins at the end of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom period, around 1650 B.C. Digital image courtesy of Getty’s Open Content Program Fragmentary Papyrus with Spells from the Book of the Dead, 304–30 BC, Egyptian. The spells on this papyrus are written in hieroglyphs. Texts could be written either in hieroglyphic Egyptian, or a cursive form of the script called hieratic. Along with Getty’s ongoing provenance research, Scalf is studying the texts and preparing translations and analysis in order to place them within the broader context of the long history of the Book of the Dead.īook of the Dead spells were meant to be spoken aloud, and placing them on items in the tomb allowed the mummy to recite them from within his coffin. Getty’s Book of the Dead manuscripts include seven papyri and twelve linen mummy wrappings that are now undergoing new scholarship spearheaded by Foy Scalf, an Egyptologist who is the head of research archives at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Fragmentary Papyrus with Spells and Vignettes from the Book of the Dead (detail), 304–30 B.C., Egyptian. If his heart equals the weight of the feather, he is allowed to pass into the next world. "We tell stories in a way no one else can, we lift up voices no one else does, we'll bring you the news but we'll also bring you the joy in a way no other medium can.This vignette detail shows an episode from Book of the Dead Spell 125, in which the deceased appears before Osiris and a tribunal of gods to have his heart weighed against the feather of Maat, symbolizing justice and truth. In a 2018 interview for NPR, Mayer disclosed what she loved most about public radio: "Everything." It breaks my heart like I can’t tell you that we didn’t get more time to be friends and colleagues. "She had a long career at NPR doing lots of things, and the more sun shone on her, the more she bloomed. Linda Holmes, host of NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour," wrote on Twitter she was "still at a loss." NPR television critic Eric Deggans remembered Mayer as "our queen of nerd-itry on the Arts Desk," who pursued "stories about books, sci fi, romance, fantasy and so much more with passion and a knowing wit." "We just spoke a few weeks ago about spooky reads and one of her recs is now a nightly favorite. "Every time I had the pleasure of being in convo w/ Petra I knew we were in for a nerdy good time," Mosley added, remembering her colleague. Jesus, she was the best of us."Ĭo-host of NPR's "Here and Now" Tonya Mosley wrote on Twitter that it was "devastating" to learn of Mayer's death. "She wanted you to love the stuff she loved, and supplied you hard incontrovertible evidence to support her thesis. "She was the best and rarest species of nerd, whose enthusiasm was eager and sincere and open and inviting," Weldon added on Twitter. NPR culture critic Glen Weldon remembered Mayer as "ferociously intelligent, sardonically funny and (someone who) made your day better by merely existing." She served as a weekend associate producer and director for the media outlet's show "All Things Considered," and worked as a production assistant for "Morning Edition" and "Weekend Edition Saturday" before joining the NPR books team in 2012. A few years later, she served as a news writer for NPR affiliate WBUR in Boston and received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University before rejoining NPR in 2000. Mayer first joined NPR in 1994 as an engineering assistant while she attended Amherst College, according to NPR.
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