After the introductory hymns to Ra and Osiris as gods of the afterlife (see AE 145), Chapter 1 takes us through the mummification and burial process. The vignette for this extends over Plate 5 and Plate 6 of the papyrus.
Plate 5: Funeral procession
On the left side of Plate 5, we see four men carrying various grave goods that Ani will need in the afterlife, including a chair, a bed, scribal equipment, and two djed symbols associated with stability and endurance, which are also symbols of Osiris. Below this scene we see a large box surmounted by Anubis (the god of embalming), pulled along by three mourners, with two more mourners following behind. The box contains four canopic jars containing the internal organs of the deceased, which are removed from the body during the embalming process. The box is decorated with Isis-knot and djed symbols.
A group of male mourners follow the bier containing the body of Ani. The bier seems to rest on a barque, which in turn sits on a sledge. At each end, we see the protective goddesses Isis (at the stern) and Nephthys (at the prow). In the middle, Ani’s wife Tutu kneels, bare-breasted in mourning.
Towards a National Collection