THE AMDUAT

The Amduat (Ancient Egyptian: Imy-duat, meaning "That Which Is in the Underworld") is the oldest and most important royal funerary text of the New Kingdom. It serves as a detailed guidebook mapping the sun god Ra's nightly journey through the twelve hours of darkness.

Ancient Name	Writings of the Hidden Chamber
Date	New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BCE)
Location	Walls of Royal Tombs (Valley of the Kings)
Goal	Knowledge of the Duat to ensure Rebirth

First appearing in the tomb of Thutmose I and fully illustrated in the tomb of Thutmose III, the Amduat was initially reserved exclusively for the Pharaoh. It was not a spell book for the common man (like the Book of the Dead), but a state secret depicting the king's cosmic union with the sun god.

The text's primary purpose is to empower the dead King to become one with Ra. By knowing the names of the gods and demons in each hour, the King can pass safely. The journey is not just travel; it is a process of regeneration, turning the aged, dying sun of the evening into the youthful, rising sun of the morning.

The Amduat is divided into 12 sections, corresponding to the 12 hours of the night. Each hour is a distinct region with its own geography and inhabitants:

Hour	Theme	Key Event
1st - 3rd	Entry & Water	Entering the Western Horizon; Wurnes (Waterway).
4th - 5th	Desert (Sokar)	Passage through the realm of Sokar; Darkness.
6th	Union	Union of Ra and Osiris.
7th	Battle	Defeat of Apophis.
12th	Rebirth	The Sun enters the tail of the serpent to be born.

A unique feature of early Amduat copies (like in the tomb of Amenhotep II) is the artistic style. The figures are drawn as simple, cursive stick figures in black ink on a yellow background. This deliberate choice mimics the appearance of a papyrus scroll unrolled on the tomb walls, emphasizing that this is a sacred "text" rather than just decoration.

The journey is perilous. In the 7th Hour, the serpent of chaos, Apophis, tries to drink the river dry to strand the solar boat. Isis and the eldest magician (Seth) use magic to spear and subdue him. In other hours, mysterious "Tow-men" drag the boat over sand when the river disappears.

The Amduat catalogs hundreds of deities, many found nowhere else. They include:

• Ra (Flesh of Ra): Depicted as a ram-headed figure (Auf-Ra).
• Osiris: The silent king of the dead.
• Sokar: The falcon lord of the hermetic desert caves.
• Khepri: The beetle who pushes the sun into the dawn.

The Amduat symbolizes the cyclical nature of time and the necessity of darkness. It teaches that death is not an end, but a phase of renewal. The sun must die (set) to be reborn. The text emphasizes that even in the deepest gloom of the underworld, the light of Ra brings a temporary "resurrection" to the dead who dwell there.

Subject	Guide to the Underworld
Central Figure	Ra (in his Ram-headed night form)
Structure	12 Hours of Night
Key Moment	Union of Ra & Osiris (6th Hour)
Purpose	Eternal Rebirth of the King