The book of the dead is an ancient funerary text, containing all information needed for a spirit to pass the tests and trials to go to the after life. It also is a collection of speeches and prayers that are there to help guide the deceased pass the tests to get to the after life. ‘Book of the dead’ is not the real name. It was given by explorers and archaeologists due to the fact that all passages were found in burial tombs. The true ancient Egyptian name translate ‘The Book of Coming Forth By Day’. Throughout the Egyptian civilization that lasted 3,000 years there were different versions of the Book of The Dead. The various spells that were created by the priests depended upon the importance of the gods and goddesses of the time. Around 1500 B.C.E. The Eighteenth Dynasty created the version that we see today.
In the Book of the Dead, there are many gods mentioned in it, each have their own purpose. It is believed that it is a collection of different stories from different traditions, because some of the phrasing in the book is oddly opposite to other phrasing in the book.One of the main parts of the Book of the Dead is showing the process that the person who has died must go through. There is a test that must be passed in order to enter the afterlife. The spirit of the person who has deceased enters the Hall of Two Truths. The Egyptian god, Anubis, would be waiting with a scale. There was an ostrich feather on one side of the scale and the god would put the heart of the person that died on the other side. If the feather weighed more than the heart it proved the person led a good life and was allowed to go to the afterlife.
