![]() ![]() ![]() These new spells were concerned with the everyday desires of the common man, and is further evidence that by this time, commoners were also given a shot at the afterlife. Although some of the material from the Pyramid Texts continued to be used, it is clear that many new spells were added as well. The Coffin Texts show that any ordinary Egyptian who could afford a coffin now had access to the afterlife as well, hence the so-called ‘democratization of the afterlife’. Prior to this, the afterlife seems to have been the exclusive domain of the pharaoh, since the Pyramid Texts were only found in their funerary monuments. The Coffin Texts reflect a change in the beliefs that the ancient Egyptians had about the afterlife. Other places where the spells are found to have been written on include tomb walls, papyri, and stelae. Currently, the work known as the Coffin Texts consists of around 1,185 spells, most of which are found to have been written on coffins, hence its name. It was, however, only during the Middle Kingdom that it became widespread. (The Land / Public Domain )ĭuring the First Intermediate Period, the ancient Egyptians began writing spells on coffins. The vignette at the top illustrates, from left to right, the god Heh as a representation of the sea a gateway to the realm of Osiris the Eye of Horus the celestial cow Mehet-Weret and a human head rising from a coffin, guarded by the four sons of Horus. The mystical Spell 17, from the Papyrus of Ani. Interestingly, if the gods refused to comply, the Pyramid Texts provides spells that the deceased pharaoh could use to threaten them. Therefore, the Pyramid Texts contains spells that could be used to call upon the gods for their aid in the afterlife, a feature found in later funerary texts as well. The ultimate goal of the pharaoh was to become the sun or the new Osiris, but this journey of transformation was full of perils. These spells deal mainly with the protection of the pharaoh’s physical remains, the reanimation of his body after death, and his ascension to the heavens, the three primary concerns of the Old Kingdom pharaohs regarding their afterlife. Unlike the later Coffin Texts and Book of the Dead, the Pyramid Texts do not contain any illustrations.ĭuring the Old Kingdom, the Pyramid Texts were reserved for the pharaoh, and this is reflected in the spells found in this work. These spells were found to have been carved onto the walls and sarcophagi of the pyramids at Saqqara (hence the name of the work), which were constructed during the 5th and 6th dynasties. Like the Book of the Dead, the Pyramid Texts are also a collection of spells. The Pyramid Texts are the older of the two and were ‘written’ during the time of the Old Kingdom. The 13th dynasty is often considered to be part of the Middle Kingdom (though some consider it to be part of the Second Intermediate Period), during which two collections of funerary texts, the Pyramid Texts and the Coffin Texts, were being used. Due to the presence of new spells, scholars have considered the Mentuhotep’s sarcophagus as the earliest example of the Book of the Dead that we have at present. Nevertheless, the earliest known example of this work was found on the sarcophagus of Mentuhotep, a 13th dynasty queen. It is unclear as to when the Book of the Dead was first produced. Although it is commonly called the Book of the Dead, its original name in ancient Egyptian is transliterated as rw nw prt m hrw, which may be translated as Book of Coming Forth by Day or Book of Emerging Forth into the Light. Many of the spells have their origin in the earlier Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts, which shows the continuity, as well as changes in the beliefs held by the ancient Egyptians regarding the afterlife. In general, the spells are meant to aid the recently deceased in their journey through the underworld, which is perilous, and full of obstacles. In total, about 200 spells are known, and these may be divided into several themes. Each ‘book’ is unique, as it contains its own combination of spells. The Book of the Dead is not a book per se, but rather, a corpus of ancient Egyptian funerary texts from the New Kingdom.
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