Ofrendas en el Inframundo: el Libro de las Doce Cavernas en el Osireion de Abidos

Abstract

The Book of the Twelve Caverns consists of a litany of deities who inhabited these mythical regions of the Beyond. The versatility of its cosmographic nature enabled its use and adaptation to different contexts. It was used in certain liturgical ceremonies in temples and also in a funerary sphere related to the burial equipment of certain deceased individuals in order to help them in their journey through the caverns of the Duat. The version of the composition inscribed in the south chamber of the Osireion in Abydos is, beyond any doubt, the most completed copy hitherto preserved. It can be dated to the reign of Merenptah (c. 1213-1203 BC). The aim of this paper is to present the main features of this example of the book. Its specific features will be highlighted, as well as its textual and iconographic adaptation to the cultic sphere. The absence of differentiation in some aspects to the funerary versions of the book will also be underlined. The composition will be analysed in the architectonical context of the chamber and, at a more general level, in the iconographic programme of the Osirian underground complex. Finally, the relationship with some other sources throughout the history of the book’s transmission will be detailed