Question

Why do you think there is a scale with a heart on one side and a feather on the other fig., What can this papyrus tell us about early Egyptian beliefs?

Answer 1

The scale with a heart on one side and a feather on the other represents the ancient Egyptian belief about judgement after death. They believed that a person’s heart was weighed against the feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice. If the heart was as light as the feather, the person was considered honest and free from wrongdoing and could enter the afterlife. If the heart was heavy with evil, it was believed to be devoured. This shows that Egyptians believed in life after death, divine judgement, and the importance of living a truthful and moral life.