The Book Of The Dead

Introduction

The Egyptian history depicts a rich religious settings. They believed in the life that existed on earth and life in death where it was the transition and the journey to afterlife. The lives of Egyptians was surrounded by beliefs in over 200 gods and goddesses each of whom represented characteristics of a certain force that was superior to humans. It is in the context of this religious background that various texts were crafted in tombs, coffins and scripts to guide the dead in their journey to the next world. In collective format, these texts made up the book of the dead.

Importance of the books of the dead

According to their believe, the journey to the afterlife was riddled with difficulties and temptations. As such, guidance through the journey was essential. With much of the Egyptians time devoted to afterlife, the book contains major ideas and beliefs relating to the next world. This was in form of spells, charms, passwords magical formulas and numbers to be used in course of the journey. In the ancient Egypt, social classes were more prevalent and in such way this dictated the type of texts that could be written for each individual. However, the book of the dead used to be a perverse of those in higher social classes as they only could afford its high costs.

Producing a book of the dead

The responsibility to create the book of the dead was with the scribes. These were the holy men who had powers and access to communication with the gods and goddesses. However, commissioning for the book was done by the individual as part of preparation of his or her own funeral. In instances where the individual was not in such apposition, the family had the responsibility to do so upon demise of a family member. The scribes would use both red and red color to write the scripts with the content contain of written texts and pictures denoting the individual’s life after death. These script were often buried alongside the deceased to act as a guide through the journey in afterlife.

Conclusion

Egypt is one the countries that is known to retain many artifacts that give its rich historic culture. Though not prepared as part of art, the book of the dead gives a clear indication of the religious culture of Egyptians as well as their deep regard for life after death.