The Papyrus of Ani

The Papyrus of Ani is one of the world's best preserved examples of the famous Book of the Dead, and is believed to have been created by the royal scribe Ani in the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. It has been dated to around 1240 BC, and has been used by hundreds of scholars to show how the Book of the Dead was put together. The papyrus was discovered by E.A.Wallis Budge in 1888 in the ancient capital of Thebes, and was subsequently donated to the British Museum's Egyptian collection. However in order to transport the item easily, Budge cut the 78 foot-long papyrus into 37 equally sized sheets. As well as being the royal scribe, Ani was also described as Lord of Thebes, and 'Governor of the Granary of the Lords of Abydos'.