Monday, May 26, 2008
The ancient Egyptians drew (and carved) figures of gods and goddesses, people, animals, and everyday objects on tomb and temple walls, stellae, obelisks, and papyrus. They believed in the magical quality of these figures. For example, they believed that after a body was placed in a tomb and the doors were sealed, the figures on the walls (and even models of figures made of clay) would come alive to serve the deceased in the afterlife. For this reason, pharaohs and nobles had plenty of pictures (and figures) of servants to wait on them for all eternity!
Sacred Texts were placed in the tombs of the Egyptian elite to guide the soul of the deceased through various obstacles as it journeyed between this world and the next. These texts included special words and phrases (known as spells) that, if uttered at particular times and places, enabled the soul to arrive at the edge of the land of the dead. During the Old Kingdom (the earliest period of dynastic Egyptian history, dating from the third millennium BC), these writings were carved onto the walls of the pyramids of the pharaohs and their queens. The texts were accompanied by illustrations of the soul's perilous journey and eventual arrival in the land of the dead. (These are known as the Pyramid Texts.)
During the Middle Kingdom (beginning in 2055 BC), passages and drawings from the Pyramid Texts were painted directly onto the wooden coffins of wealthy nobles and Egyptian royalty. (They are known as the Coffin Texts.) During the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), sacred funereal texts (and illustrations) were painted on papyrus scrolls. These were in large part derived from the earlier texts and are referred to as individual versions of The Book of the Dead. A scroll was rolled up and placed in a special container in the coffin beside the body. In addition to the scrolls, many pharaohs who were buried in the Valley of the Kings had copies of The Book of the Dead carved and painted on the walls and ceilings of their tombs.
An important part of The Book of the Dead was a pictorial description of the drama that would supposedly unfold when the soul arrived in the land of the dead. The soul (which resembled the deceased person) was first greeted by Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead, who posed a number of questions about the quality of the person's life on earth. (The appropriate answers were conveniently written above the drawings for easy reference.) Then Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummies, placed the heart of the deceased on a scale. If it balanced with a feather (this symbolized truth and goodness), the soul would go on to enjoy a very pleasant afterlife. But if the heart was heavier than a feather, a monster named Ammut (part hippo, part lion, and part crocodile) was waiting to gobble it (the soul) up! Thoth, the ibis-headed god of scribes, stood by the scales, ready to write down the verdict, while 42 other gods sat in judgment. Overseeing the ceremony was Ma'at, the goddess of truth. (She's easy to spot - she has a feather on her head!) Because the ancient Egyptians believed in magic, they assumed that everything depicted in the paintings of the Book of the Dead would actually occur once the tomb was sealed.
Sacred Texts were placed in the tombs of the Egyptian elite to guide the soul of the deceased through various obstacles as it journeyed between this world and the next. These texts included special words and phrases (known as spells) that, if uttered at particular times and places, enabled the soul to arrive at the edge of the land of the dead. During the Old Kingdom (the earliest period of dynastic Egyptian history, dating from the third millennium BC), these writings were carved onto the walls of the pyramids of the pharaohs and their queens. The texts were accompanied by illustrations of the soul's perilous journey and eventual arrival in the land of the dead. (These are known as the Pyramid Texts.)
During the Middle Kingdom (beginning in 2055 BC), passages and drawings from the Pyramid Texts were painted directly onto the wooden coffins of wealthy nobles and Egyptian royalty. (They are known as the Coffin Texts.) During the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), sacred funereal texts (and illustrations) were painted on papyrus scrolls. These were in large part derived from the earlier texts and are referred to as individual versions of The Book of the Dead. A scroll was rolled up and placed in a special container in the coffin beside the body. In addition to the scrolls, many pharaohs who were buried in the Valley of the Kings had copies of The Book of the Dead carved and painted on the walls and ceilings of their tombs.
An important part of The Book of the Dead was a pictorial description of the drama that would supposedly unfold when the soul arrived in the land of the dead. The soul (which resembled the deceased person) was first greeted by Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead, who posed a number of questions about the quality of the person's life on earth. (The appropriate answers were conveniently written above the drawings for easy reference.) Then Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummies, placed the heart of the deceased on a scale. If it balanced with a feather (this symbolized truth and goodness), the soul would go on to enjoy a very pleasant afterlife. But if the heart was heavier than a feather, a monster named Ammut (part hippo, part lion, and part crocodile) was waiting to gobble it (the soul) up! Thoth, the ibis-headed god of scribes, stood by the scales, ready to write down the verdict, while 42 other gods sat in judgment. Overseeing the ceremony was Ma'at, the goddess of truth. (She's easy to spot - she has a feather on her head!) Because the ancient Egyptians believed in magic, they assumed that everything depicted in the paintings of the Book of the Dead would actually occur once the tomb was sealed.
posted by 1startclub at
4:58 AM
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