Book of the Dead
E58320
The Book of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian funerary text composed of spells, prayers, and rituals intended to guide the deceased safely through the afterlife.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Book of the Dead papyri | 1 |
Statements (54)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ancient Egyptian funerary text
ⓘ
collection of spells ⓘ religious text ⓘ |
| associatedConcept |
afterlife
ⓘ
immortality ⓘ judgment of the dead ⓘ underworld ⓘ weighing of the heart ⓘ |
| associatedDeity |
Anubis
ⓘ
Ma'at ⓘ
surface form:
Maʿat
Osiris ⓘ Ra ⓘ Thoth ⓘ |
| commissionedBy |
high officials
ⓘ
royalty ⓘ wealthy Egyptians ⓘ |
| compiledFrom | earlier funerary traditions ⓘ |
| contains |
hymns
ⓘ
illustrations ⓘ prayers ⓘ ritual instructions ⓘ spells ⓘ |
| culture | ancient Egyptian religion ⓘ |
| customization | spells selected for individual deceased ⓘ |
| earliestAttested | circa 16th century BCE ⓘ |
| functionInBurial |
inscribed on funerary objects
ⓘ
placed in tombs ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName |
Book of Coming Forth by Day
ⓘ
rw nw prt m hrw ⓘ |
| iconography | vignettes depicting scenes from the afterlife ⓘ |
| influenced | later understanding of Egyptian religion ⓘ |
| language |
Egyptian language family
ⓘ
surface form:
Egyptian language
|
| notableManuscript |
Papyrus of Ani
ⓘ
Papyrus of Hunefer ⓘ |
| notableSpell | Spell 125 ⓘ |
| numberOfKnownSpells | approximately 190 ⓘ |
| predecessor |
Coffin Texts
ⓘ
Pyramid Texts ⓘ |
| primaryPurpose |
assist in judgment before Osiris
ⓘ
ensure safe passage in the underworld ⓘ guide the deceased through the afterlife ⓘ provide protection for the dead ⓘ |
| Spell 125Purpose | declaration of innocence before Osiris ⓘ |
| structure | individual spells rather than fixed canon ⓘ |
| studiedBy | Egyptologists ⓘ |
| timePeriod | New Kingdom of Egypt ⓘ |
| typicalMedium |
coffins
ⓘ
papyrus scrolls ⓘ shrouds ⓘ tomb walls ⓘ |
| usedUntil | circa 1st century BCE ⓘ |
| writingSystem |
demotic script
ⓘ
hieratic script ⓘ hieroglyphic script ⓘ |
Referenced by (17)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Book of the Dead papyri