Book of the Dead Funerary Texts, Spells & Rituals

Egypt has a long history and, as with any culture, beliefs changed in time, changed back, and changed again. The afterlife was considered to be a continuation of life on earth and, after one had passed through various difficulties and judgment in the Hall of Truth, a paradise which was a perfect reflection of one’s life on earth. After the soul had been justified in the Hall of Truth it passed on to cross over Lily Lake to rest in the Field of Reeds where one would find all that one had lost in life and could enjoy it eternally. From the 21st Dynasty onward, more copies of the Book of the Dead are found in hieratic script.

What is the significance of the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony?

One of the most iconic chapters of the Book of the Dead is the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony, where the heart of the deceased, representing their deeds in life, was weighed against the feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice. For those left behind in life, the spells would have been interpreted the way people in the present day read horoscopes. The spells throughout the Book of the Dead, no matter what era the texts were written or collected in, promised a continuation of one’s existence after death. Just as in life, there were trials and there were unexpected turns in the path, areas and experiences to be avoided, friends and allies to cultivate, but eventually the soul could expect to be rewarded for living a good and virtuous life. People who are unacquainted with the book, but who have even the slightest acquaintance with Egyptian mythology, know the spell without even realizing it. Spell 125 describes the judging of the heart of the deceased by the god Osiris in the Hall of Truth, one of the best known images from ancient Egypt, even though the god with his scales is never actually described in the text.

Uncovering the Collection’s Ownership History

In the 19th century, English scholar and collector Sir Thomas Phillipps of Thirlestane House purchased the papyri and mummy bandages as part of his personal quest to create one of the largest manuscript collections in the world. After Phillipps’ death, they remained in his family until the mid-20th century; eventually, they ended up with bookseller Hans P. Kraus​, Sr., in New York, who ​together with his wife Hanni donated them to the Getty in 1983. It is an evolution of earlier Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom written on the walls of the burial chamber within pyramids to help the dead king to take his place alongside the gods in the sky, rather than in the underworld. In the Middle Kingdom, these were replaced by Coffin Texts that were painted on objects rather than written on papyrus but served the same purpose. The Book of the Dead has left a lasting legacy, influencing not only subsequent Egyptian religious texts but also modern perceptions of ancient Egyptian culture. Its themes of death, judgment, and the afterlife resonate with universal concerns about mortality and morality, making it a subject of enduring fascination.

• The Book of the Dead in Ancient Egypt is a fascinating and complex collection of funerary texts that played a crucial role in the afterlife beliefs and practices of the ancient Egyptians.
• An important example is found in Spell 19, which is a spell for transforming the deceased into a falcon, thereby allowing them to soar to the heavens.
• The myth of the afterlife begins with the god Osiris, who was killed in jealousy by his brother Seth.
• The Book of the Dead is made up of a number of individual texts and their accompanying illustrations.

The claim that The Book of the Dead was some kind of sorceror’s text is as wrong and unfounded as the comparison with the Bible. Following this, the scribe who wrote the spell congratulates himself on BEGIN YOUR SLOT JOURNEY NOW a job well done and assures the reader that he, the scribe, will flourish as will his children for his part in providing the spell. Prior to the New Kingdom, The Book of the Dead was only available to the royalty and the elite.

This ambiguity reflects the similarity in Egyptian thought between ritual speech and magical power.14 In the context of the Book of the Dead, it is typically translated as either chapter or spell. One example of the judgment theme is found in Spell 125, which details the Weighing of the Heart ceremony. During this process, the heart, symbolizing the individual’s deeds in life, is weighed against the feather of Ma’at to determine the soul’s worthiness for entering the afterlife.

These texts are a treasure trove of magical spells that were believed to assist the departed souls in their journey through the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians had a firm belief that these spells, primarily written on papyrus scrolls, were the keys to a smooth transition from mortal life to their version of ‘Coming Forth By Day’. The Book of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian collection of funerary texts consisting of spells, prayers, and incantations designed to assist the deceased in navigating the underworld and achieving eternal life in the afterlife.

Spells explain the mythical origins of the gods and the cosmos and describe how the deceased, once born again like the morning sun. It was primarily used from the beginning of the New Kingdom (around 1550 BCE) until about 50 BCE, although its origins trace back to earlier funerary traditions. “`Secret image of Ha’ is the name of my right foot; `Flower of Hathor’ is the name of my left foot.” In 2023, the Ministry of Antiquities announced the finding of sections of the Book of the Dead on a 16-meter papyrus in a coffin near the Step Pyramid of Djoser.72 This scroll is now known as the Waziri Papyrus I, after Mostafa Waziri.