Book+of+the+Dead



(The picture above represents the famous weighing scene. Here, Anubis weighs a mortal's heart against Ma'at, or her symbol, which is an ostrich feather. Ma'at was the goddess of truth and wisdom. If the heart equals the weight of Ma'at, the mortal would expect to go to the beloved Field of Reeds. However, if the heart was heavier than Ma'at, the heart would be gobbled up by Ammit, a monster that is part crocodile, part hippopotamus, and part lion. Without a heart, the mortal would be denied entrance to the afterlife. This is an example of a vignette, a pictorial representation of the spells and hymns in the Book of the Dead)

The Book of the Dead was an ancient Egyptian text written around the 18th dynasty (1570- 1304 BC). The book contained a collection of prayers, spells, hymns, and other information that was needed to guide the soul safely to the afterlife and then help the soul once it was in the realm of the dead. Passages from the Book of the Dead were mostly written down in hieroglyphics on papyrus, but were also bought at markets as amulets, written on the walls of tombs, or the book was placed in tombs.

Sources and Picture http://www.egyptologyonline.com/book_of_the_dead.htm

http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/b/book_of_the_dead.html

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Created by Elizabeth Thompson (8/29/08)

Edited by Rachel Mitchell (9/01/08) Edited by Stacy Fairey 9/3/08