The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead
The ancient Egyptians documented every aspect of their lives on their temple and tomb walls. They left us the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, which details the afterlife.
Ancient Egyptians believed life had two parts: the first life, which was limited, and the afterlife, which was limitless. We have discovered that most of the scenes and details from the first life are in non-royal tombs. However, most scenes from the afterlife are in the king’s tombs. The temples’ walls show mixed scenes.
What Is the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead?
The Book of the Dead is a genuine book with text and images. It is divided into chapters and begins with an introduction. However, this book is not written on paper. It doesn’t have the current form of a book that we can carry and keep in our libraries.
Instead, the Book of the Dead is inscribed inside the tombs of ancient Egyptian rulers. It discusses and provides details on how these rulers pass into the afterlife. It also religiously describes these afterlife qualities.
The book’s full ancient Egyptian name is “Ta-Magt Umm Duat,” which means “the book of what is in the other world.” People also call it “um-dwat” or “Imy-dwat.” This ancient Egyptian religious book is also known as “The Text of the Hidden Chamber in which the Spirits of Gods and Good Shadows Stand” or “The Text of What is in the Other World.” It has been inscribed on the walls of royal tombs since the beginning of the eighteenth dynasty and was the only adornment of the burial chambers.
In the Valley of the Kings
We discovered the earliest versions of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead’s royal religious manuscripts inside the pyramids of the 5th and 6th dynasties. This ancient literature, known as the Pyramid Texts, is the oldest form of the Book of the Dead. It includes religious and royal characteristics. The Pyramid Text vanished in the Middle Kingdom but reappeared in the New Kingdom in the graves of important officials. At the same time, we found a refined form of the Book of the Dead in the royal tombs. The ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead has been one of the most significant religious texts written on the walls of royal tombs since the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty.
The earliest version
We traced the earliest stages of this book back far earlier than the Luxor era. However, it first appeared in the Valley of the Kings in the tombs of King Thutmose I and Queen Hatshepsut (KV 20). You can also find the book in the tombs of Vizier Waser Amun and Amenhotep II. In these tombs, we can view the complete book in order, as well as a truncated version at the end.
Someone wrote the first hour of the Book of Hours (a chapter from the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead) in Tutankhamun’s tomb. You can also see parts of two hours carved into one of King Tut’s golden chapels. We found the book in the burial chamber of King Seti I’s tomb. It is also inside the tombs of Ramses III, Ramses IV, and Ramses V.
The book continued to be recorded in the vestibules of the tombs and was only for the kings. It did not appear in any individual tomb during the Eighteenth Dynasty, except for the tomb of the minister Waser Amun from the reign of Thutmose III. He had a special status with the king, which allowed him to record the book in his tomb.
The book remained a royal book until the Twentieth Dynasty. Then, the priests of Amon arrived in Thebes to reign. They took this right, like royals, and recorded parts of the book in their graves or on their coffins.
What do the portals to other worlds show?
The landscape in the other world is distorted from what you’re accustomed to seeing on Earth. Everything in this universe is larger than it seems, and its dimensions are determined by holy standards that are much greater than royal human standards. It’s worth remembering that time has distinct dimensions in the other world. One hour is the equivalent of a lifetime on Earth for night travel. In this world, everything is backward.
In actuality, the sun returns to its original position. All creatures, including humans, move backward in the massive serpent that is reborn from tail to mouth on the eastern horizon. This causes them to transform from adults to children. Even ancient funeral texts show that people in that world are forced to walk on their heads or eat their excrement. The digestive system is also flipped upside down.
Texts and photographs in the world of the dead often refer to inverted or reversed water. In some places, we find complete paragraphs of reversed text. This hints that we must read the Other World backward, in addition to the usual inclination of hieroglyphic writing. The ancient Egyptians associated death with natural events, particularly since the sun’s cycle resembled life after death.
The Book of the Hours
When the sun rises, life begins. When the sun sets, death begins. The sun had three instances in the other world, all tied to the names of sun gods. Khepri means “sunrise,” while Ra means “noon.” Atum means “sunset.” The Book of the Dead describes the sun’s cycle through the twelve hours of the night. It breaks the cycle into 12 sections. Each section corresponds to a different hour of the night.
The sun’s cycle begins in the other world. The god Ra’s boat crosses the gates. Each gate has a deity. The deceased must know all of these deities and answer their questions. They must also know all of the forms and texts. The deceased encounters various obstacles and must overcome them all.
The Hours of the Night
- First Hour: The god Ra’s boat, the “sister,” travels between day and night and approaches the western horizon.
- Second and Third Hours: The boat travels across a huge sea.
- Fourth Hour: The boat arrives at a sandy beach. It encounters the deity Soker, the underworld falcon.
- Fifth Hour: The boat arrives at Osiris’ tomb. A lake of fire burns underneath it. A pyramid has been built above the cemetery. It depicts the two gods, Isis and Nephthys, as two kites.
- Sixth Hour: This is the most significant hour. Here, the deity Ra’s “ba” soul reunites with his body in a serpent-formed circle. The sun re-emerges.
- Seventh Hour: A wild serpent called Apophis welcomes the deceased’s boat.
- Eighth Hour: The cemetery entrance opens.
- Ninth Hour: The deceased leaves the sandy shore and returns to the ocean.
- Tenth and Eleventh Hours: The recuperation process continues in the water.
- Twelfth Hour: The god’s eye regains its eyesight. This is a sign of his health and safety, as well as the return of his birth. He reaches the eastern horizon in readiness for sunrise and the start of a new day.
The Book’s History
During the Middle Kingdom, people wrote books on papyrus paper. We discovered it in the tombs of high officials. Until at least Dynasty 30, we found parts of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead inscribed on the exterior and interior of coffins and sarcophagi. While we recorded it in the royal tombs during Dynasty 18, we wrote just a few hours in the dynasties that followed.
It’s a great feeling to visit Saqqara’s ancient site. You can see the Pyramid text and Luxor’s old city. As part of our Egypt Tour Packages, you can experience the beauty and still-vibrant hues of the Book of the Dead in the Valley of the Kings.
