Wednesday 30 March 2011

The Book of the Dead – Journey through the Afterlife – British Museum

Book of the Dead

On January 28, eleven members were immersed in Ancient Egyptian rituals and spells as the curator described the Book of the Dead that was placed in the coffins of wealthy Egyptians to help them navigate the underworld to reach the place of judgment. The presentation gave us a great understanding of the symbols and drawings we saw later in a tour of the exhibit. We especially enjoyed the Papyrus of Anhai with it’s vivid colours unchanged from 1280 BC. And the woman whose afterlife was depicted in the 37 foot Greenfield Papyrus, (the world’s longest Book of the Dead) must have expected to spend a long time finding her way through the underworld. The artifacts associated with burial in Ancient Egypt – painted coffins, mummy masks, jewelry and statues made us appreciate the importance that the Egyptians placed on life after death and the journey they took to get there.

Submitted by Lynda Opocensky

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