Picture courtesy of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that once they died, it was only the beginning of a new life. This life was called the Afterlife. To go to the Afterlife, everything had to be set up. The mummy, the tomb, the pyramid. To go to the Afterlife, the deceased had to be able to eat, drink, breathe, speak, see, and hear, like in the Above World. Plus, they had to go through a series of trials to be able to officially enter the beautiful Afterlife. There, they would be able to live in peace forever.
Almost all Egyptians knew about the Book Of The Dead. The Book of The Dead was almost always read by all Egyptians who could afford it at one point in their life or another. The reason the Book Of The Dead was so important was because it acted as a guide to the Underworld. The Book of The Dead included prayers and magical spells for burial ceremonies. In the Underworld there were demons and creatures the soul needed to pass, and the Book of The Dead gave spells needed to pass these creatures. The Book of The Dead was basically an instruction manual of how to go to Afterlife.
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Fun Fact:Copies of The Book The Dead started being produced around 1550 BC. People were still using The Book Of The Dead 1,500 years later for guidance to the Afterlife. |
The Egyptians had many beliefs and rituals that were performed during the death of a person to ensure they would get to the Afterlife if their heart was true. The beliefs varied, and we don't know all of them, but in this website, I have included common Egyptian beliefs and rituals.