The papyrus scroll version of the Book of Emerging Forth into the Light, more commonly known as the Book of the Dead, developed from the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom, a system of afterlife spells carved on walls within pyramids and tombs in 2400 BCE.īy the Middle Kingdom, these texts were written inside the coffins themselves and began to include pictures. Failure was to be devoured by Ammit, a hybrid monster, but success meant the dead would join the gods in paradise. Here, the heart, for Egyptians the place of the mind, is shown on a scale weighed against Maat, represented by a single ostrich feather. If these were passed, the spirit would stand in judgment in the beautifully illustrated Weighing of the Heart ritual. However, the journey was fraught with dangers including various gates guarded by supernatural monsters and real threats such as crocodiles. The newly dead spirit would be taken into the presence of Osiris in his underground kingdom of Duat. The Egyptian afterlife was a system of dangerous trials in which the deceased would be judged by their actions while living. The Papyrus of Ani is an exquisite example of a key document in ancient Egyptian religion. The stunning pictures offer a glimpse into the life of ancient Egypt in its rendition of the "Field of Reeds," the awaiting paradise that reflects the living world, and into the complex and afterlife with its pantheon of gods rendering judgment and a menagerie of dangerous creatures.
It is written in cursive hieroglyphics and superbly illustrated with richly detailed paintings of the stages of the afterlife.Īmong the numerous surviving copies of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Papyrus of Ani is considered the most magnificent in the quality of its lavish vignette paintings and the scope of its text. This copy was created for Ani, a Theban scribe, during the Nineteenth Dynasty around the year 1250 BCE.
We discover in the Book of the Dead a commonly shared humanity that reaches out to us across more than four thousand years with timeless and universal expressions of hopes and fears that are sometimes quite familiar, sometimes quite strange.The Papyrus of Ani is a copy of the famous ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, a collection of spells, prayers, and incantations to aid in the transition of the spirit of the dead into the afterlife.
#PAPYRUS BOOK MANUAL#
It is more of an instruction manual for the recently departed. The Book of the Dead was first thought to be a Bible but is it not a religious work. Included are spells, hymns and instructions for the dead to pass through obstacles in the afterlife. Originally it was usually written on a papyrus scroll which was sent with the prepared body in its coffin or burial chamber. After nearly 4500 years it still intrigues modern readers with its imaginative insights into the universal human condition and the desire for a blissful afterlife.Įntombed with this book of rituals, the deceased had a detailed guide for the nightly journey with the sun through the dark and dangerous underworld, providing a guarantee of resurrection in the afterlife at dawn. The Egyptian Book of the Dead is by far the most sensational book handed down from the priests of ancient Egypt.
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