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Journey Through the Afterlife: The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead is a compilation of spells that the ancient Egyptians believed would assist them in the afterlife as they made their perilous journey towards the realm of the gods and the ultimate state of eternity. The spells are often accompanied by vignettes, which show the imagined landscape of the Netherworld, the gods and demons whom the deceased will meet, and the critical weighing of the heart the judgement that will determine whether the traveller will be admitted into the afterlife or condemned to destruction by the monstrous Devourer. This fascinating and important book affords a greater understanding of ancient Egyptian belief systems and poignantly reveals the hopes and fears of mortal man about the world beyond death. The whole is beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned photographs of these exceptional papyri and an array of contextual funerary objects painted coffins, gilded masks, amulets, jewellery, tomb figurines and mummy trappings.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 9, 2014
Pros: lots of gorgeous coloured photos, detailed chapters, covers numerous aspects surrounding death and the afterlife
Cons: no complete text translation
This is a gorgeous pictorial overview of what we call the Egyptian Book of the Dead and what the ancient Egyptians called The Book of Coming Forth by Day. It evolved over time as a collection of knowledge and spells designed to help those for whom they were made, and with whom they were buried, find their way through the perils of the afterlife and judgement so they could ‘live’ again.
Journey Through the Afterlife takes examples from dozens of papyrus roles that have been recovered to discuss their purpose, the Egyptian view of death and the afterlife, burial practices and the act of preparing the rolls themselves.
Each chapter ends with several examples of what was discussed, often including supplementary information in their explanatory passages.
I was surprised by how many of the medieval views of magic (which I studied in university and elsewhere) started in Egypt. For example: the belief that words have power, both when spoken and written. The use of amulets. The importance of knowing the true name of spirits/gods/demons in order to have power over them. Making protective circles drawn with ‘wands’. Using ‘virgin’ (unused) papyrus (in the middle ages it would have been unused parchment) for spells. The importance of ritual in the efficacy of magic, etc.
It would have been nice had a translation of the full text of the Egyptian Book of the Dead been included, but as this book is intended as a companion guide to the texts, it’s not surprising they didn’t have room for it.
The is a beautiful and highly informative book if you have an interest in ancient Egypt, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, views of the afterlife or the ancient practice of magic.
Cons: no complete text translation
This is a gorgeous pictorial overview of what we call the Egyptian Book of the Dead and what the ancient Egyptians called The Book of Coming Forth by Day. It evolved over time as a collection of knowledge and spells designed to help those for whom they were made, and with whom they were buried, find their way through the perils of the afterlife and judgement so they could ‘live’ again.
Journey Through the Afterlife takes examples from dozens of papyrus roles that have been recovered to discuss their purpose, the Egyptian view of death and the afterlife, burial practices and the act of preparing the rolls themselves.
Each chapter ends with several examples of what was discussed, often including supplementary information in their explanatory passages.
I was surprised by how many of the medieval views of magic (which I studied in university and elsewhere) started in Egypt. For example: the belief that words have power, both when spoken and written. The use of amulets. The importance of knowing the true name of spirits/gods/demons in order to have power over them. Making protective circles drawn with ‘wands’. Using ‘virgin’ (unused) papyrus (in the middle ages it would have been unused parchment) for spells. The importance of ritual in the efficacy of magic, etc.
It would have been nice had a translation of the full text of the Egyptian Book of the Dead been included, but as this book is intended as a companion guide to the texts, it’s not surprising they didn’t have room for it.
The is a beautiful and highly informative book if you have an interest in ancient Egypt, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, views of the afterlife or the ancient practice of magic.
July 19, 2023
Rather than translating the Book of the Dead, Journey Through the Afterlife analyzes its contents and its context. Chapters by various authors describe how the Book of the Dead (BD) developed, how it was produced, who used it (most Egyptians couldn't afford a copy), and how it fit in with other Egyptian preparations with the afterlife. Several more chapters describe the themes in the BD itself, and the overall picture of the afterlife that it draws.
Because Journey Through the Afterlife doubles as a catalogue for a British Museum exhibit, 161 capsule descriptions of artifacts from the exhibit are interspersed with the chapters. Most of them are sections from various BD papyri, photographed in very great detail. The rest are various objects related to death and burial—mainly coffins, amulets, and other burial goods. It's a real wealth of information, and surprisingly cheap for a book with such expensive, photo-quality pages.
If you want a translation of the BD, look at one of the Raymond Faulkner editions. The best option is the 2015 Chronicle edition of the Papyrus of Ani, which contains several introductory essays, Faulkner's translation of all the spells in the book, and a commentary on each of the spells that appear in that particular papyrus. For an analysis of the BD that's somewhat more detailed and academic than this one, see Becoming God in Ancient Egypt, and if you want to go whole hog, see The Oxford Handbook of the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
Because Journey Through the Afterlife doubles as a catalogue for a British Museum exhibit, 161 capsule descriptions of artifacts from the exhibit are interspersed with the chapters. Most of them are sections from various BD papyri, photographed in very great detail. The rest are various objects related to death and burial—mainly coffins, amulets, and other burial goods. It's a real wealth of information, and surprisingly cheap for a book with such expensive, photo-quality pages.
If you want a translation of the BD, look at one of the Raymond Faulkner editions. The best option is the 2015 Chronicle edition of the Papyrus of Ani, which contains several introductory essays, Faulkner's translation of all the spells in the book, and a commentary on each of the spells that appear in that particular papyrus. For an analysis of the BD that's somewhat more detailed and academic than this one, see Becoming God in Ancient Egypt, and if you want to go whole hog, see The Oxford Handbook of the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
April 21, 2024
This book was originally written as a tie-in for an exhibition at the British Museum in 2010; which is now no longer available.
As a stand alone book - this is an incredible resource into the Egyptian Book of the Dead - I knew it was some form of funerally texts, however, I learnt so much more.
This book is a very in-depth study, and details the beginnings of the book (less a book and more a collection of related spells) through to the end of the Egyptian period. It marks how it was written, the similarities as well as the studies since the 1800s on this particular item.
There are beautiful photographs of some of the exhibitions including, statues, papyri and mummies etc.
It only loses a star as the main text makes frequent references to catalogue items, which now no longer exist in the same exhibition. Further, some of the information may now be outdated as it has been over two decades since the book was written, and I would assume work has continued in this area.
As a stand alone book - this is an incredible resource into the Egyptian Book of the Dead - I knew it was some form of funerally texts, however, I learnt so much more.
This book is a very in-depth study, and details the beginnings of the book (less a book and more a collection of related spells) through to the end of the Egyptian period. It marks how it was written, the similarities as well as the studies since the 1800s on this particular item.
There are beautiful photographs of some of the exhibitions including, statues, papyri and mummies etc.
It only loses a star as the main text makes frequent references to catalogue items, which now no longer exist in the same exhibition. Further, some of the information may now be outdated as it has been over two decades since the book was written, and I would assume work has continued in this area.
July 24, 2017
Beautiful illustrations are matched with thoughtful insights into the meaning of these documents. Even for a non-academic like myself I really enjoyed the adventure.
May 25, 2018
Excellent. Great illustrations and content. Massive volume - has everything.
January 10, 2016
This book is an absolutely stunning pictorial romp through the Egyptian Book of the Dead. I am reading the hardcover version of this book and the detail and variety of pictures are fantastic.
My only "wish" left unfulfilled is a bit more explanation and a translation of what we are seeing in hieroglyphs. Yes, there is some description but much of the time it is lacking explanation or detail.
That said, the book is absolutely gorgeous. Would highly recommend to any history, or Egyptian mythology buff. Just be prepared to head to google to try to translate some of what you see in the gorgeous images.
My only "wish" left unfulfilled is a bit more explanation and a translation of what we are seeing in hieroglyphs. Yes, there is some description but much of the time it is lacking explanation or detail.
That said, the book is absolutely gorgeous. Would highly recommend to any history, or Egyptian mythology buff. Just be prepared to head to google to try to translate some of what you see in the gorgeous images.
October 31, 2013
The first book of Literature, Poems, wisdom ... amazing and superb
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews