Spell 30B of the Book of the Dead
Weighing of the Heart against the Feather of Maat

381, Lot: 683. Estimate $1000. Sold for $3500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

3rd Intermediate Period. 1069-664 BC. Green stone (siliciclastic indurated stone) heart scarab (55x38mm). Heart scarab with eight-line inscription on face, quoting Spell 30B from the Book of the Dead. Worn surfaces. Some chips and cleaning scratches.

From the Carl Devries Collection.

O my heart of my mother! O my heart of my mother! O my heart of my different forms! Do not stand up as a witness against me, do not be opposed to me in the tribunal, do not be hostile to me in the presence of the Keeper of the Balance, for you are my ka which was in my body, the protector who made my members hale. Go forth to the happy place whereto we speed, do not make my name stink to the Entourage who make men. Do not tell lies about me in the presence of the god. It is indeed well that you should hear! (Book of the Dead, Spell 30B)

Spell 30B refers to the final judgment of the soul, the symbolic ritual of the Weighing of the Heart. During the judgment, the deceased stood before a tribunal of deities led by Osiris. The deceased’s heart was placed on a huge scale, where it was weighed against a feather of Maat, goddess of truth and justice. If the heart was in balance with the feather, the deceased would be welcomed to the afterlife. If the heart was heavy from wrongdoing and outweighed the feather, it would promptly be devoured by the fantastic beast Ammit.

Spell 30B was frequently engraved on heart scarabs, which were often wrapped with the deceased during the mummification process. The amulets were intended to ensure a favorable outcome during the judgment and safe passage to the afterlife.