The Purpose and Function of the Egyptian Hypocephalus

Authors

Stephen O. Smoot
John Gee
Kerry Muhlestein
John S. Thompson

Keywords

Book of Abraham, Late Period funerary equipment, Ptolemaic funerary equipment

Abstract

Facsimile 2 of the Book of Abraham is a type of document called a hypocephalus. “The term ‘hypocephalus’ refers to a piece of Late Period and Ptolemaic [ca. 664–30 BC] funerary equipment. It is specifically, an amuletic disc, made of cartonnage, bronze, textile, and more rarely, papyrus, or even wood, emulating a solar disc.” The name was coined by modern Egyptologists beginning with Jean-François Champollion and comes from Greek, meaning literally “under the head.” Spell 162 of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead specifies that these amulets were to be placed hr tp of the mummy, which has been widely rendered as “under the head” of the mummy

Recommended Citation

Smoot, Stephen O.; Gee, John; Muhlestein, Kerry; and Thompson, John S. (2022) "The Purpose and Function of the Egyptian Hypocephalus," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 61: Iss. 4, Article 43.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol61/iss4/43