Illustration from the Book of the Dead of the ibis-headed Thoth, scribe of the gods, holding in his hands the writing reed and palette of the scribe, ready to record the result of the Weighing of the Heart of the deceased Ani against the feather of the law which represents Maat, the divine personification of truth and order. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Thoth is the god of all arts and sciences, responsible for writing, mathematics, measurement and time as well as the moon and magic.