BOOK OF THE DEAD

Book of the Dead: translation

   The name given to a type of papyrus often buried with the dead from the New Kingdom onward. The papyrus contained a number of magical spells that would enable the deceased to successfully reach the next world. The most important spell concerned the ritual of the weighing of the heart against the feather of maat to determine the deceased’s worthiness to enter the afterlife, and the spell was supposed to fix the balance in the deceased’s favor. Some books of the dead were decorated with elaborate vignettes and scenes depicting funerals and rituals. Some were obviously produced as special commissions, but there were stock examples available for purchase in which the name of the deceased could be filled in blank spaces or in some cases not filled in at all.

   See also Religion.

Book of the dead: translation

    The best known of the funerary 'books' of the New Kingdom. These were written on papyrus or leather rolls and placed in the tombs of the wealthy, providing them with a series of spells to ensure their safe passage into the next world. The magical potency of the words was reinforced by illustrations—coloured vignettes in the New Kingdom and line drawings in the Late Period. In addition to the Book of the Dead, other texts included the 'Book of Gates' and the 'Book of Amduat ('that which is in the underworld'). Ultimately, all these texts had been derived from the Pyramid Texts—the magical spells inscribed on the interior walls of some of the Old Kingdom pyramids.

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