The Egyptian Book of the Dead - Hardcover

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9780304356195: The Egyptian Book of the Dead

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0304356190 ISBN 13: 9780304356195

Publisher: UNKNO, 2001

Egyptian hieroglyphics and images ensured the well-being of the dead in the world beyond. Every breathtaking picture reproduced here--in a remarkable-looking volume bound in real papyrus--comes from Thebes, and represents one version of the great national funeral work copied by scribes from about 900 b.c. to 600 b.c. The early history of the Book of the Dead remains shrouded in the mists of remote antiquity, but its origin was considered divine--often attributed to the god Osiris. These evocative and glowing paintings show the sun god Ra on the Night Boat, towed on the waters under the earth; a delicate blue-and-white image, originally drawn on plaster, of Nebamun hunting in the marshes; and, from the tomb of the pharaoh Ramses VI, a grand ceiling mural decorated with astronomical scenes.

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From the Back Cover:

The Egyptian Book of the Dead is unquestionably one of the most influential books in all history. Embodying a ritual to be performed for the dead, with detailed instructions for the behaviors of the disembodied spirit in the Land of the Gods, it served as the most important repository of religious authority for some three thousand years. Chapters were carved on the pyramids of the ancient 5th Dynasty, texts were written in papyrus, and selections were painted on mummy cases well into the Christian Era. In a certain sense it stood behind all Egyptian civilization.In the year 1888, Dr. E. Wallis Budge, then purchasing agent for the British Museum, followed rumors he heard of a spectacular archeological find in Upper Egypt, and found in an 18th Dynasty tomb near Luxor "the largest roll of papyrus I had ever seen, tied with a thick band of papyrus, and in a perfect state of preservation." It was a copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, written around 1500 B.C. for Ani, Royal Scribe of Thebes, Overseer of the Granaries of the Lords of Abydos, and Scribe of the Offerings of the Lord of Thebes.This Papyrus of Ani, a full version of the Theban recension, is presented here by Dr. Budge, who later became perhaps the world's most renowned Egyptologist. Reproduced in full are a clear copy of the Egyptian hieroglyphs, an interlinear transliteration of their sounds (as reconstructed), a word-for-word translation, and separately a complete smooth translation. All this is preceded by an introduction of more than 150 pages. As a result of this multiple apparatus the reader has a unique opportunity to savor all aspects of the Book of the Dead, or as it is otherwise known, The Book of the Great Awakening.

About the Author:

Many examples of Egyptian funerary scrolls exist. The version used in this edition is that of the famous and well-preserved Papyrus of Ani, written around 1500 B.C. Ani was the Royal Scribe of Thebes, Overseer of the Granaries of the Lords of Abydos, and Scribe of the Offerings of the Lords of Thebes. As such, he was honored with a fine example of a funerary papyrus.

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