Book: The Egyptian Book Of The Dead by Ea Wallis Budge
"The Egyptian Book of Dead"—the ancient Egyptian title is ‘rw nw prt m hrw’ , roughly translated as “Spells of Going Forth by Day” — was written by the ancient Egyptians as a sort of guide to help newly deceased souls as they crossed over into the afterlife. It was usually written on a papyrus scroll which was sent with the prepared body in its coffin or burial chamber.German Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius first used the title, “Book of the Dead” in a selection of Texts he published in 1842. Since then, the word “Egyptian” has been added and it has become the generally accepted title of the book. E. A. Wallis Budge published this translation in 1901 and, as an important version, it is still in print to this day.
The Book of the Dead was the product of a long process of evolution from the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom (writings on the crypt walls intending to help the dead person) to the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom (similar writings, placed on the outside of a coffin). Eventually, many of these texts were written on papyrus and placed in the burial chamber, or inside the coffin with the mummy.
About one-third of the chapters in The Book of the Dead are derived from the earlier Coffin Texts. The Book of the Dead itself was adapted to The Book of Breathings in the Late Period, but remained popular in its own right until the Roman period.
Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):
Gerald Gardner - The Garnerian Book Of ShadowsFriedrich Max Muller - The Sacred Books Of The East
Lady Galadriel - The New Book Of The Law
Ea Wallis Budge - The Egyptian Book Of The Dead
