book+of+the+dead

The Book of the Dead


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Pert Em Hiru// ("Spells of Coming [or Going] Forth By Day")

The Book of Dead is the common name for the ancient Egyptian funerary text known as "Spells of Coming (or Going) Forth By Day." The Book of the Dead contained a description of the ancient Egyptian conception of the afterlife and a collection of about 200 hymns, spells, passwords, charms, and instructions.

The text was intended to be read by the deceased during their journey through the Duat. It enabled the dead to overcome the many obstacles of the //Duat// and not lose their way. It did this by teaching passwords, giving clues, and revealing routes that would allow the deceased to answer questions and navigate around hazards. Spells also invoked the help and protection of various deities while proclaiming the deceased's identity with the gods to attain an afterlife of bliss in //Sehet Aaru//.

Often heavily illustrated, the Book of the Dead was most commonly written on a papyrus scroll and placed in the coffin or burial chamber of the deceased, occasionally hidden within a statue of the god Sokar or Osiris. The Book of the Dead was sometimes written on leather or vellum. The text was initially carved on the exterior of the deceased person's sarcophagus or on amulets, and was even incorporated into the mummy bandaging. The Book ranged from two to 134 feet (41 m.) long.

The name "Book of the Dead" was the invention of the Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius, who published a selection of the texts in 1842. When it was first discovered, the Book of the Dead was thought to be an ancient Egyptian "Bible." But unlike the Bible, the Book of the Dead does not set forth religious tenets and was not considered by the ancient Egyptians to be the product of divine revelation, which allowed the content of the Book of the Dead to change over time. The Book of the Dead was not organized or standardized in any meaningful way, as the text was often individualized for the deceased person.

Important Terminology