Lecture for Egyptologists audience.
Abstract
The shaft tomb of Iufaa, located in the Saite-Persian cemetery at Abusir, presents one of the most complex and singular examples of late Egyptian funerary text traditions. We will explore the extensive corpus of ritual and mythological texts inscribed on the walls of Iufaa's burial chamber, focusing on the purification ritual that unfolds across the northern and eastern walls. Previously attested only fragmentarily on Roman Period papyri and in temple reliefs, this ritual finds its most complete and structured iteration in Iufaa's tomb, embedded in a wider theological and cosmological framework. Through an analysis of the spells that compose the ritual-many of them unique to this monument-we will the integration of purification, solar mythology, and protective magic as mechanisms of post-mortem transformation. The ritual not only links Iufaa with the solar rebirth cycle and mythic prototypes such as Ra and Horus, but also functions as a microcosmic mapping of creation and the sun's diurnal journey. Special attention will be paid to the interplay of text, image, and directionality, the structuring of spells through mythological commentary, and the shifting role of this once-royal rite in a non-royal, funerary context. The lecture concludes by addressing the ritual's theological implications and its evolving function from temple to tomb and from coronation to afterlife.
