Function
In the judgment vignette the deceased addresses a tribunal of forty-two assessors with negative confessions: statements of the form "I have not…" covering speech, violence, theft, sacred property, and fair measure.
Each assessor is linked to an ethical charge and often to a nome (district). The scene belongs to Spell 125 of the Book of the Dead tradition, preserved in manuscripts such as the British Museum Papyrus of Ani.
Manuscript variance
Names, epithets, and the exact roster of assessors are not identical across copies and periods. Facsimile editions (including Budge's Papyrus of Ani) help readers see one tradition; they are companions to museum collection records, not the only truth.
This site publishes a representative subset with sources on each assessor page. We do not invent names to fill forty-two slots. Completing a full roster requires cite-verified lines from a named manuscript tradition.
Continue the judgment
After reading, open the Weighing of the Heart wisdom page, then play Weigh the Heart. Balancing the scales is a practice of attention; donations unlock nothing.
Representative Assessors (28 of 42)
- Witness to truthfulness in speech
- Guardian against theft
- Judge of violence and harm
- Judge of false witness
- Guardian against blasphemy
- Judge of aggression
- Guardian against fraud
- Judge of lies
- Judge of slander
- Guardian against deceit in measures
- Judge of sacrilege
- Guardian against casting spells against others unjustly
- Judge of anger and violence
- Guardian against eavesdropping and tale-bearing
- Judge of stealing food
- Guardian against polluting water
- Guardian against causing pain to cattle
- Judge of false oaths
- Guardian against stealing offerings
- Judge of unjust anger
- Guardian against trespass in tombs
- Judge of false scales and measures
- Guardian against polluting sacred places
- Judge of violence against the helpless
- Guardian against encroaching on fields
- Judge of deceitful speech
- Guardian against stirring up strife
- Judge of disrespect to parents and elders
The tribunal is 42 in Spell 125 tradition. This site lists 28 representative assessors with cited examples. We do not invent names to pad the roster; manuscript naming varies by period and copy.
Sources & References
- British Museum – Papyrus of Ani (EA 10470)
- Internet Archive – The Papyrus of Ani (Budge facsimile)(facsimile / legacy companion)
- UCL Digital Egypt – Underworld Books
Facsimile and legacy editions are companions for reading tradition. Prefer museum and encyclopedia sources for claims.