Death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt

Abstract

Egyptians are perhaps best known for the fascinating ways in which they grappled with the mysteries of death and the afterlife. This illustrated book draws on the British Museum's world-famous collection of mummies and other funerary evidence to offer an account of Egyptian beliefs in an afterlife and examine the ways in which Egyptian society responded materially to the challenges these beliefs imposed. The book describes the numerous provisions made for the dead and the intricate rituals carried out on their behalf. It looks at embalming, coffins and sarcophagi, shabti figures, magic and rituals, and amulets and payri, as well as the mummification of sacred animals, which were buried by the millions in vast labyrinthine catacombs. The text also reflects developments in the interpretation of Egyptian burial practices, such as the use of noninvasive imaging techniques to look inside the wrappings of a mummy and the chemical analysis of materials used in the embalming process. Death and the afterlife in Ancient Egypt illuminates apects of this complex culture that still perplexes researchers more than 3000 years after it's decline.

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