The Papyrus of Ani is a papyrus manuscript in the form of a scroll with cursive hieroglyphs and colour illustrations that was created c. 1250 BCE, during the Nineteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt.

The scroll was discovered in Luxor in 1888 by Egyptians trading in illegal antiquities.

Shortly after Budge first saw the papyrus, Egyptian police arrested several antiquities dealers and sealed up their houses, one of which contained the objects Budge had purchased from the dealers.

Budge distracted the guards by offering them a meal while locals tunnelled under the house's walls to retrieve the objects, including the Papyrus of Ani.

Stored in several custom tin boxes, the papyrus and other objects Budge had acquired were then smuggled to the principal librarian at the British Museum.