Ancient Egyptians held a rich and complex vision of the afterlife and codified their beliefs in books that were to be discovered more than two millennia later in royal tombs. Erik Hornung, the world's leading authority on these religious texts, surveys what is known about them today.
The contents of the texts range from the collection of spells in the Book of the Dead, which was intended to offer practical assistance on the journey to the afterlife, to the detailed accounts of the hereafter provided in the Books of the Netherworld. Hornung looks closely at these latter works, while summarizing the contents of the Book of the Dead and other widely studied examples of the genre. For each composition, he discusses the history of its ancient transmission and its decipherment in modern times, supplying bibliographic information for any text editions. He also seeks to determine whether this literature as a whole presents a monolithic conception of the afterlife. The volume features many drawings from the books themselves-drawings that illustrate the nocturnal course of the sun god through the realm of the dead.
Originally published in German and now available in a fluid English translation, this volume offers an accessible and enlightening introduction to a central element of ancient Egyptian religion.
Ancient Egyptians held a rich and complex vision of the afterlife and codified their beliefs in books that were to be discovered more than two millennia later in royal tombs. Erik Hornung, the world's leading authority on these religious texts, surveys what is known about them today.The contents of the texts range from the collection of spells in the Book of the Dead, which was intended to offer practical assistance on the journey to the afterlife, to the detailed accounts of the hereafter provided in the Books of the Netherworld. Hornung looks closely at these latter works, while summarizing the contents of the Book of the Dead and other widely studied examples of the genre. For each composition, he discusses the history of its ancient transmission and its decipherment in modern times, supplying bibliographic information for any text editions. He also seeks to determine whether this literature as a whole presents a monolithic conception of the afterlife. The volume features many drawings from the books themselves-drawings that illustrate the nocturnal course of the sun god through the realm of the dead.Originally published in German and now available in a fluid English translation, this volume offers an accessible and enlightening introduction to a central element of ancient Egyptian religion.
Industry Reviews
"A concise and detailed summary... This is a recommended book for all searching for details on important Egyptian texts."-Francesca Jourdan, quik.com "Erik Hornung's new book... goes a long way toward beginning to correct and to inform our understanding of religion in Ancient Egypt."-Tom Collins, Religious Studies in Secondary Schools, April, 2000. "There has long been a need for a thorough English language survey of this material, a need that is well met by the present volume... even specialists in Egyptian funerary literature will find much of interest ... The ancient Egyptian literature of the afterlife is a complex and involved subject and the volume under review provides a clear and concise overview of the individual texts. It will be useful for anyone interested in these ancient Egyptial books for the dead."-Terry G. Wilfong. University of Michigan, Bryn Mawr Classical Review. "Hornung's book is a good general survey, with a voluminous bibliography that Egyptologists will find useful."-James Allan Evans, University of British Columbia. The Classical Outlook. Fall, 2000, Vol. 78, No. 1 "It is a fortunate circumstance that Eric Hornung... has rendered the invaluable service of producing a complete guide and manual to the texts... It now appears in an admirable English translation by David Lorton."-Leo Depuydt, Brown University. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 2000 "Hornung's study of ancient Egyptian afterlife books, translated into English for the first time by D. Lorton, fills a major gap in the available literature in English and will prove indispensable to students of Egyptian funerary religion... His presentation is clear and thorough."-Denise M. Doxey, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Religious Studies Review, Vol. 25, No. 4, October 2000
