Almost every culture is based on a particular moment in life of a person, which determines the creation of rituals, rituals and relics. Almost all moments of such cultural values of this or that civilization revolve around such moments. The most saturated rituals and customs is Egyptian civilization, which existed many years before the advent of others. This culture is the cradle of modern society. Even before the first customs appeared outside the African continent, the Egyptians already had their infrastructure in the cities, and even the right. But these are not the only features of Egyptian culture. Its main highlight is the religion of Ancient Egypt.
Features of the religion of ancient Egypt
It should be noted that almost the entire Egyptian religion is based on beliefs in the other world. According to them, the afterlife does not just exist, but it also has its representatives in the face of the great pantheon of gods. All religious beliefs of Egypt revolve around the gods and their history, as well as the lives of ordinary people after death. Incidentally, life after death is precisely the fact that was mentioned earlier. In Egyptian culture, a large number of rites and rituals are associated with the fact of human death. By nature, the Egyptians were very superstitious. They were convinced that the process of human life will decide the outcome of his future fate in the afterlife. As a result of such beliefs, the "Book of the Dead" was created, regulating in detail the life of a person after death.
The Book of the Dead - what is it?
The ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead” is a specific collection of religious hymns and texts that were created to help the deceased. The book was usually placed in a tomb, so that a dead person could find the right path in the kingdom of the dead, and also exclude the soul from being in danger. This collection is a kind of guide to the soul in the afterlife. The purpose of its creation is to provide peace for the soul.
You need to understand what the ancient Egyptian "Book of the Dead" looks like. It can be found in several copies, depending on the time of creation. The thing is that over the centuries the form in which the "Book of the Dead" was created has constantly changed. This was due to those religious and social trends that existed at one time or another.
History of the book
It was previously indicated that the form in which the book found its manifestation changed with time. Moreover, the ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead” is not a single collection of texts dedicated to the afterlife. Other similar writings are known in the history of Egypt , namely: “Texts of sarcophagi” and “Texts of pyramids”.
The book was directly developed in the era of the Ancient Kingdom, when the custom of the "seeing off" of the pharaoh in his afterlife appeared. During this ritual, priestesses pronounced special magical formulas, which were supposed to provide a “successful” afterlife to their lord. Later, all ritual songs and magic formulas began to be recorded on special plates that were mounted on sarcophagi. By the time of the Middle Kingdom, such sarcophagi had become available not only to the pharaohs, but also to wealthy nobles. In an even later period, the ancient Egyptians departed from the tendency to write the “Book of the Dead” on the surface and began to “publish” it in the form of special scrolls, each of which was placed inside the sarcophagus. Scrolls were usually made from papyrus or leather. This form of the "Book of the Dead" makes it possible to answer the question of what the ancient Egyptian book looks like.
The structure of the Book of the Dead
What else needs to be noted? The ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead” has a peculiar structure. This is due to trends in its creation. Earlier, we already learned what the ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead” looks like. It is presented in the form of scrolls (paper or leather), in which prayers, chants and other magic spells were set forth. All studies of the Book of the Dead are based on the Thebes book. She got her characteristic name because of the place where she was found. Later, other instances were found to recreate the approximate structure of the described collection.
The ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead,” “The Word of the Light-seeking” is the most classic name. It is impossible to create its specific content, since all the constituent elements were collected from books published at different times. At the very beginning of the collection, the section “Anthem to the Gods” can be distinguished. It regulates the process of praising the dead of the main gods. Next is the “Address of the deceased to spirits and gods.” It is believed that in this part of the entire “afterlife”, which will be discussed later, the soul turned to all gods and thereby justified all its sins. After that, in the book you can find countless chapters, each of which tells in detail about the process of the afterlife.
Osiris Court - prototype of modern trial
Although the described peoples lived a very long time, nevertheless, the ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead” contains detailed regulations for the entire afterlife. Osiris is the chief judge of the afterlife. The soul of a deceased person turns to him, as well as to other Egyptian gods in order to justify their sins. An interesting fact is that the soul, proving its innocence, can say that there are no witnesses against it. Everything indicates the proximity of the afterlife process to the earthly. If you look in detail, then the real trial of Ancient Egypt was almost the same as it is depicted in the afterlife.
This similarity is due to the fact that over time, moral standards began to penetrate into the book, which significantly influenced its structure and content. Thus, in the most recent copies found, the most ancient Egyptian book is presented closest to society. Of course, it does not affect living people, but the process of the afterlife is very similar to the earthly one.
Conclusion
In the article we saw the main stages of the appearance and creation of the "Book of the Dead." The main tendencies of the ancient Egyptian society were described, as well as what the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead looks like.