The Oxford Handbook of the Egyptian Book of the Dead

Abstract

Abstract Among the broad spectrum of ancient Egyptian religious literature, the Book of the Dead is the most representative of the mortuary religion and of the magical and ritual practices belonging to it. Moreover, its rich corpus of texts and images provides unique information on the scribal practices, mortuary traditions, myths, and priestly rituals in ancient Egypt from the second millennium BCE to the Roman Period. “Book of the Dead” is the conventional name given by Egyptologists to a collection of magical compositions called in ancient Egyptian “Book for Coming Forth By Day.” This title refers to the main wish of the deceased, who wished to be able to leave his tomb and move freely between this world and the next. Each Book of the Dead manuscript is unique, although we know of the existence of workshops where the papyri were bought; therefore, a few common stylistic features can be recognized according to different regional traditions of writing and manufacture. The spells also present many and various parallels with other magical and ritual texts attested in temples and on magical objects and amulets, showing that the mortuary literature had in fact a strong link with the daily religious life and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. This handbook is the first guide to all the aspects and topics of research in relation both to the Book of the Dead itself and to broader research on ancient Egyptian religion and magic.