In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Anubis is shown weighing the deceased’s heart.
The weighing scene presents Anubis supervising a balance. The dead person’s heart is placed on one side, while the feather of Maat represents truth, justice, and proper cosmic order on the other. The image expresses the idea that a person’s moral life could be evaluated after death.
Anubis’s role is that of examiner and guide rather than final judge. Thoth records the result, while Osiris presides over the judgment assembly. If the heart failed the test, the monstrous Ammit could devour it, preventing the deceased from continuing into a blessed afterlife.
Not every Book of the Dead papyrus contains an identical composition, and artistic details vary. The famous scene is especially associated with illustrated papyri from the New Kingdom and later periods. It should not be confused with the Negative Confession, the deceased’s spoken declaration of innocence.