The Egyptian Book of the Dead Research Papers
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a great subject for a research paper in several types of classes. Certainly Egyptian history courses study the Book of the Dead and its place in history. However, the Egyptian Book of the Dead can be studied in several other contexts, such as religion, philosophy or even psychology. Paper Masters can custom write your Egyptian Book of the Dead research paper for you and explain the complex text often studied in Egyptian history courses.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian funerary text, used during the New Kingdom Period (1550 BCE) up until the Roman occupation (50 BCE). The original hieroglyphic title best translates as “Book of Coming Forth by Day” and contains numerous magical spells that were supposed to assist the individual’s journey through the underworld after their funeral.
Egyptian belief in the afterlife was a strong current in ancient Egyptian culture and one of the main reasons that bodies were mummified and buried with numerous objects. The spells that were compiled into the Book of the Dead were frequently from older periods, previously inscribed on tomb walls and sarcophagi. The Book of the Dead was often buried with the individual.
Kingdoms of the Egyptian Book of the Dead
Your research paper on the Egyptian Book of the Dead should note the three different periods and the corresponding Texts and spells they discuss:
- The Old Kingdom: The earliest known spells date back to the Old Kingdom, part of the Pyramid Texts, which are perhaps the oldest known religious texts in history. These were carved on the walls of the pyramids and were intended for the exclusive use of the pharaohs.
- The Middle Kingdom: The Coffin Texts emerged, written on the inside of coffins.
- The New Kingdom: The Book of the Dead had emerged in Thebes. Many of the spells were written on the wrappings that covered mummies.
Later, the spells were written down on papyrus scrolls. By the beginning of the New Kingdom period, the book was written in both hieroglyphics and hieratic script, which more closely resembles alphabet writing. There was no one single “Book of the Dead.” Rather, each one was created by scribes for the individual deceased.