The Book of the Dead: The History and Legacy of Ancient Egypt’s Famous Funerary Texts
Written by Charles River Editors and Markus Carabas
Narrated by Jim Johnston
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Given the abundance of funerary artifacts that have been found within the sands of Egypt, it sometimes seems as though the Ancient Egyptians were more concerned with the matters of the afterlife than they were with matters of the life they experienced from day to day. This is underscored most prominently by the pyramids, which have captured the world’s imagination for centuries. The pyramids of Egypt are such recognizable symbols of antiquity that for millennia, people have made assumptions about what they are and why they exist, without full consideration of the various meanings these ancient symbolic structures have had over the centuries. Generations have viewed them as symbols of a lost past, which in turn is often portrayed as a world full of romance and mystery. This verbal meaning has become associated with the structures through the tourism industry, where intrigue obviously boosts ticket sales. In fact, the Egyptian pyramids are so old that they were also drawing tourists even in ancient times. In antiquity, the Great Pyramid of Giza was listed as one of Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, and it is the only one still surviving today.
The age and structural integrity of the pyramids also make them symbols of longevity and power, which is only fitting because those are two purposes the ancient pharaohs who commissioned these works intended them to serve. For the pharaohs, the construction of these large monuments presented an opportunity for them to showcase their influence and become something to be remembered by, both in the society they ruled and in the annals of history that would follow. Even as new dynasties came and went, and even as Egypt was subjected to foreign domination and rulers from across the world, the pyramids have continued to stand as a prominent testament to Ancient Egypt’s glorious past.
Though the ancient tombs have been extensively plundered, they still stand as gateways to the afterlife that provide a murky window into the past of a fascinating civilization. Most importantly, the relatively untouched tomb of the young King Tutankhamun offered clear insight. Many of the objects that were discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb were clearly made specifically for him and his burial, such as the coffins, funerary masks, canopic equipment and statues. Other objects, such as the furniture, clothing, and chariots, were obviously items that had been used during Tutankhamun’s lifetime. The motifs found upon many of his possessions depicted him in triumph over his enemies. For example, a painted wooden chest bears a fine example of such a scene; the king is shown in his chariot, followed by his troops, attacking a group of Nubians. Scenes depicting aggression and triumph over Egypt’s enemies by Egypt’s king are classical examples of Egyptian kingship.
To accomplish all the necessities the Egyptians believed in, they relied on spells and invocations, which were collected in a series of funerary texts such as the Pyramid Texts. By the era of the New Kingdom, the most popular funerary text was The Book of the Dead, one of the most evocative titles of literature in the history of humankind. Its mystical writings offer a glimpse into a realm of magical thinking beyond the skills of most writers of fiction. Resplendent with highly accomplished artwork, The Book of the Dead has enraptured scholars and laymen for centuries. For that reason, it may surprise many that The Book of the Dead does not actually exist as a book. In fact, what is referred to as The Book of the Dead today is actually the accumulation of around 400 spells that exist in transliteration and translation from the whole gamut of Egyptian history.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProject MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ancient and Medieval Conspiracy Theories: The History of the World’s Most Persistent Conspiracy Theories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJesse Livermore: The Life and Legacy of America’s Most Famous Stock Trader Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Book of the Dead
Related audiobooks
The Ancient Egyptian Culture Revealed, 2nd edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hathor: The History of the Ancient Egyptian Sky Goddess and Symbolic Mother of the Pharaohs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient Egypt’s Most Famous Royal Family: The Lives and Deaths of Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and Tutankhamun Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Genesis: The Prehistoric Origins of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book Of The Dead, Part 1: The Ancient Science Of Life After Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Egyptian Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Egyptian Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ancient Egyptian City of Thebes: The History and Legacy of the Capital that Became Luxor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Temples, Tombs and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Christianity Before Christ Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Valley of the Kings: The History of Ancient Egypt's Most Famous Tombs and Burial Site Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sumerian Golden Age: Legends of the Anunnaki as Revealed by their Mysterious Discoveries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrigins of the Sphinx: Celestial Guardian of Pre-Pharaonic Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cleopatra: The Queen who Challenged Rome and Conquered Eternity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mysterious Egypt: A Collection of Ancient Egyptian Mysteries, Strange Stories, and Archaeological Oddities Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thoth the Atlantean: His Legendary Legacy and Affiliation with the other Gods of Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Egyptian Romany - The Essence of Hispania Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book Of The Dead: 4000 Year Old Secrets Of The Afterlife Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEgyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods: The Temple of the Watchers and the Discovery of Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forgotten Civilization: New Discoveries on the Solar-Induced Dark Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Anunnaki Chronicles: A Zecharia Sitchin Reader Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Empires of Atlantis: The Origins of Ancient Civilizations and Mystery Traditions throughout the Ages Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Antiquity: From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Ancient History For You
Ancient Greece 101: Greek History, Myth, and Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Past Mistakes: How We Misinterpret History and Why it Matters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Eternal City: A History of Rome Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Egyptian Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Egyptian Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Iliad by Homer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hekate Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Histories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alexander the Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mary Magdalene: Women, the Church, and the Great Deception Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Greek Mythology: An Elaborate Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Harems, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Plutarch's Lives: Volume 1 of 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing Jesus: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Occulted History: Do the Global Elite Conceal Ancient Aliens? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Volume I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chariots of the Gods Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Epic of Gilgamesh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Book of the Dead
49 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5You lost me at the start with saying the gods were made up because science didn't exist. As well as the stories. The gods were not made up. Its like saying our god and the Bible was made up many can argue but look at the documentary about exodus and how proof of that actually existed. Without solid concrete evidence one can not validate anything so to say the gods were made up is BS esp for those of us who are psychic and have connected with these gods. Many people actually still worship these gods. Me included. Its offensive af.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have always been intrigued with Egypt and I absolutely loved learning about their burial rituals.
1 person found this helpful