The Book of Caverns in Theban Tomb 33

Abstract

This article summarizes, updates, and adds to past research performed by the author on the copy of the Book of Caverns in the early Late Period Theban Tomb 33 (TT 33) of the chief lector priest Petamenophis. The first part is devoted to the reception of Caverns in the late Third Intermediate Period / early Late Period. It describes the source of Petamenophis’s copy as being the result of an “archaeo-philological” endeavor: a collation of a copy related to the copy in the Osireion and a copy from the tomb of Ramesses VI (KV 9). A series of sections discusses the reception as being primarily shaped by the aim for an “authentic” reproduction (notably with additions to the benefit of a deceased), however, also by emendation, update, and creativity. Besides the necessary updates to the personalized textual and pictorial additions that were originally created for the Ramesside kings, we find moderate orthographical, lexicographical, and grammatical changes, as well as a few changes to the images. We can also identify a few cases of textual emendations, conjectures, and additions. The second part of the article presents and discusses the sophisticated layout of the copy of Caverns on the walls of the rooms XVII–XIX in TT 33, which indexically (C.S. Peirce) mirrors the journey of the sun god—and with him Petamenophis—from west to east through the netherworld.