Towards the Origins of the Pyramid Texts

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Abstract The Pyramid Texts represent the oldest surviving corpus of religious compositions from ancient Egypt. Their first attestations come from the very end of the Fifth Dynasty, from the inner rooms of the pyramid of King Unas (late 24th century BC). Some scholars have suggested that their roots must have been older, and their origins have been widely discussed among Egyptologists. What could shed more light on this topic are the wooden fragments, dated to the Sixth Dynasty, with parts of several Pyramid Texts spells found in the excavations of the French Archaeological Mission at Saqqara. These artefacts demonstrate that the religious texts could have been written down on portable items of burial equipment, uncovering thus new dynamics in the extent of their usage. In this regard, wooden fragments from the pyramid complex Lepsius no. 24 (AC 22 [J]) and the pyramid complex of Queen Khentkaus II (AC 14 [A]) at Central Abusir, both dated to the Fifth Dynasty, are of considerable significance. These may represent the earliest clear evidence of the so-called Pyramid Texts in ancient Egypt.