Wrapping was a symbolic feature that permeated ancient Egyptian society. In this fashion, if one of the copies were damaged, additional copies would be available to perform their magic. This began with the texts on linen wrappings and amulets of the mummy itself, extended out to the walls of the coffin and sarcophagus, and finally included the papyri, ushabtis, magic bricks, and tomb relief inscriptions. As a safeguard, ancient Egyptian funerary practice included a redundancy by layering Book of the Dead spells around the body. Since the common purpose of the spells was the transformation of the dead into a glorified spirit (akh), proximity to the body was important in the placement of Book of the Dead spells. The centerpiece in the burial chamber was the human body. Most Book of the Dead spells have been discovered in burial chambers of tombs, although several spells are also found in temples. Living relatives often petitioned the akh-spirits of their ancestors to intercede on their behalf in earthly and spiritual matters, for akh-spirits were divine entities like other gods. As an akh-spirit, the dead joined with the sun god Re as he sailed in his solar barge across the sky during the day and with Osiris as he ruled the netherworld at night. A more generic spell ensured that the dead could take “any form they wish.” The Book of the Dead, then, is a grimoire of magical incantations intent on resurrecting the deceased and turning them into a powerful immortal spirit, called an akh in ancient Egyptian. Also included were transformations into divine beings, such as the “greatest of the tribunal,” a “living soul,” and the gods Ptah and Sobek. In addition to proclaiming their identification with Osiris, the dead used spells to be transformed into various entities, including falcons, herons, a swallow, a snake, and a lotus. However, the common goal of the texts was the rejuvenation of the deceased, restoration of their vital and intellectual abilities, and ensuring that they would join the divine retinue of the gods. With spells of diverse origins, the Book of the Dead fulfilled a network of spiritual needs including protecting the dead from dangerous beings and acting as a guidebook to afterlife realms. To the ancient Egyptians, these spells were called the “spells of going forth by day,” a reference to the ability of the soul to leave the tomb at dawn. Although we closely associate the Book of the Dead with papyri, its spells could be inscribed on linen bandages, amulets, coffins, sarcophagi, statues, stelae, and the walls of the tomb. Each manuscript was laboriously made by hand - a process that produced a unique, one-of-a-kind document. Some manuscripts had only a single spell, while others contained up to 165. What we have come to associate most closely with the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead is a papyrus manuscript inscribed with many short texts called “spells.” Each spell had its own theme and structure, but the spells were often grouped together in sequences and inscribed on long scrolls produced by attaching sheets of papyrus together. The Book of the Dead was not a “book” in the modern sense that it was bound together at the spine and it was not a single narrative composition. The term “Book of the Dead” is a modern designation born in the nineteenth century and applied to religious texts from ancient Egypt. As you will see in this exhibit, the ancient Egyptians made extensive use of the Book of the Dead, so that they could continue to live and be one with the gods. To do so, they gathered the spells into a compilation we now call the Book of the Dead. So powerful were these words that Egyptians wanted to take the spells with them to the grave. Magical spells of ritual power accompanied these rites. Each Egyptian needed to undergo the proper rituals of embalming and burial to ensure their continued existence in the next world. To alleviate this anxiety about our human mortality, a life-affirming religion developed in ancient Egypt that emphasized the possibility of immortality – an everlasting life in the hereafter among the gods. Like all of us, the people of ancient Egypt wondered what would happen to them after they died. They believed that language and writing were imbued with magical power and that reciting and recording such declarations would make the statements come true.

With these words, the ancient Egyptians sought identity, communion, and fellowship with Osiris, the god of the dead.

Egyptian scribe placeced in niche