What is the Book of the Dead in ancient Egypt?
The ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead is a collection of spells, prayers, hymns, magic formulas, and funerary texts that, according to Egyptian beliefs,
guided the dead on their journey to the afterlife; it helped them face the challenges they faced during the trip.
He instructed people on the paths to follow to reach the kingdom of Osiris – the primary God worshiped by the Egyptians and a symbol of the rebirth and immortality of the soul.
It is also called the Book of Exodus into the Light (from the Egyptian original)
In ancient Egyptian culture, death was not viewed negatively. Instead, it was seen as a second birth; The ancient Egyptians believed a person was born with two souls: the Ba and The ka.
The Ba was destined to make a journey to the afterlife, where he received the reward or punishment that awaited him; The ka was supposed to stay with the body and bury it in the tomb for the duration of humanity.
There are approximately 200 spells known, but they have not been collected into books in the current sense of the word.
The religious beliefs of the Egyptians were recorded on the walls of tombs and temples, and papyrus scrolls compiled in the form of the Book of the Dead.
The funerary texts that make up what is now called the Book of the Dead were not written by a single author, nor are they all from the same historical period.
The Book of the Dead began to be written primarily on the shrouds and linen strips of the most influential dead around 1550 B.C.
Easy tours Egypt can be the historical guide that leads you to answer questions related to the history of ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian Religion
Religion exerted a significant influence on daily life in ancient Egypt, as can be seen in the pyramids and temples.
The religious beliefs of the Egyptians appear on the walls of tombs and temples and in papyrus scrolls compiled in the form of the Book of the Dead.
They believed in various gods and even worshiped the forces of nature, such as the Nile.
Religion was even present in the power structure of this ancient civilization.
In addition to the existence of extraterrestrial gods, there was also the pharaoh, who had all the powers within him, assuming the role of priest and personification of God on earth.
The importance and status of the gods have evolved.
We can see, for example, that Narmer and his successors worshiped Horus and Ra since they would be “sons of Ra,” who would accompany him on his daily journey once he left the earthly plane.
With Mentuhotep, the Egyptians came to believe that the pharaoh was united with Osiris, the God of the dead, a figure gaining more and more relevance in the Egyptian Pantheon.
What Is the Importance of the Book of the Dead to the Egyptians?
The ancient Egyptians created the Book of the Dead to guide the deceased to the afterlife. The text consists of a series of magical spells to help the dead overcome the rule of Osiris
and help them in their journey through the underworld and migration to the afterlife.
The Egyptians believed that the deceased needed worldly things on their journey to the afterlife, So the art in the pyramids and tombs is not art itself,
but scenes of displays of supplies, servants, and other things needed on the other side.”
Versions of the Book of the Dead differed from one tomb to another, but one of the most famous images is the determination of the weight of the heart of the deceased, which was placed on a scale to compare it with a feather, which is a symbol of the dead.
Harmony, truth, and justice, The gods asked various questions about the deceased’s life, and the heart answered the bearer.
According to the answers, the heart gained or decreased weight, and Osiris finally delivered judgment. The judgment is favorable if the seat is lighter than the feathers, and the deceased is assured eternal life.
On the contrary, if the heart was heavier than the feather, this indicated impurity and was thrown into Ammit. It is a creature with the head of a crocodile, a hippopotamus’s legs,
and the lion’s body that devours it. This means the end of life without any possibility of resuscitation in the afterlife.
The tradition of including the Book of the Dead in tombs with inscriptions written directly on the walls of tombs began during the end of the Old Kingdom (between 2686 BC and 2181 BC),
and at first, it was only shown to royalty. It was buried in Saqqara.
By the New Kingdom (c. 1539 BC), the afterlife was thought to be within reach of all who could afford their own Book of the Dead, and the text became written on papyrus
and on the linen used to wrap the mummified bodies of mummies. Non-royal Egyptians.
History of the Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead is associated with earlier collections of Funeral Texts, Coffin Texts (Middle Kingdom), and Pyramid Texts (Old Kingdom)
In the era of the Old Kingdom, there was a custom of reading incantations aloud to the deceased king, which were supposed to provide him with an afterlife.
Later, similar texts began to be recorded in the tombs of the Egyptian nobility. By the Middle Kingdom, collections of funerary incantations
(partly ancient, partly composed anew according to their model) were already inscribed on the surface of the coffin. They became available to anyone who could purchase such a coffin.
In the New Kingdom and beyond, they are recorded on papyrus scrolls and sometimes on leather. These scrolls are called the “Books of the Dead,”
although they differ significantly in the content and arrangement of the texts.
This religious-magical collection gives the impression of a chaotic mound of prayers, hymns, and chants associated with a funerary cult. Gradually, elements of morality permeate
the Book of the Dead, and chapters 1, 18, 30, and 125 refer to the development of moral views. The Book of the Dead is essentially a religious collection, so the elements of morality
and ancient magic intertwine. Therefore, in the thirtieth chapter of the Book of the Dead, the deceased conjures his heart so that he will not testify against him in the trial after his death.
This diverse mixture of religious and magical beliefs is explained by the fact that the Book of the Dead was compiled and edited over several centuries.
Ancient texts were traditionally kept until late, and their content often became incomprehensible and required explanations, which, for example,
was added to the seventeenth chapter of the Book of the Dead.
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