Fragile papyrus scrolls known collectively as the Book of the Dead ; a glossy hardback entitled Life in Paradise ; and archaeologists and epigraphers at work on the Theban necropolis spark the interest of Jill Kamil The British Museum's current exhibition The Book of the Dead shows papyri containing religious formulae used to assist the dead to triumph in the afterlife, some of which have been unfurled to the public for the first time. The longest of the scrolls is 37 metres in length, enough to unwind around the museum's circular Reading Room, formerly the home of the British Library. The concern of the deceased was not with his inevitable death, but that his or her journey to the hereafter should be as smooth as possible. There was no apprehension, no fear. The dead continued with life after death in much the same manner as they had lived on earth -- so long as the necessities for continued existence were provided, safeguards were taken to prevent the body from decay, and religious formulae were scrupulously followed. During the Middle Kingdom in about 2000 BC, the religious formulae were recorded both inside and outside the sarcophagus. Gradually, as the texts were elaborated upon, scrolls of papyrus were also placed in the coffin. Over the years these texts were enlarged and enventually became uniformed, and the nucleus of what has become known as the Book of the Dead, which represents stages in the journey to the underworld, was formed. This journey was supposedly divided into 12 hours or caverns through which the deceased sailed at night in the boat of the sun-god. As they passed from one leg of the journey to another they went through massive gates, each guarded by a huge serpent. The first texts usually included praises to Re, hymns to be sung and illustrations of the ceremonies to be performed before the statue of the deceased to imbue it with eternal life. Then came spells to help the spirit through a virtual obstacle course, with representations of the dangers to be guarded against. These included enemies withdrawing the breath from the nostrils of the deceased, water bursting into flame as he or she drank, foes robbing him of his organs and, worst of all, his very name, which would thus deprive him for ever of his identity. However, the deceased was protected. By representations of Maat, the goddess of integrity and truth, kneeling and sheltering him with her wings as his body entered the tomb, and by the spells of the goddess Isis. Foes were beheaded by a lion-headed god, and the dead person was guided safely through the underworld until he stood before Osiris, the creator of law and agriculture who had once ruled on earth. There he made what was known as the Negative Confession, that he had not sinned, lied or blasphemed. The final hurdle was the weighing of the heart on the Scales of Justice against the Feather of Truth (Maat). Thoth, god of wisdom, recorded the verdict. If the heart weighed more than the feather, then the deceased would be devoured by a hippopotamus-like monster. There was no need to fear, however, because Thoth can tilt the scales in favour of Truth to ensure that the deceased, with his or her valuables and possessions, and with the ability to eat and drink, was imbued with life everlasting in the Field of Reeds. In the west, where at the end of each day the Sun god began his nocturnal journey through the Underworld, the deceased also gained admittance to the hereafter. Life after death was a concept most deeply rooted in the minds of the ancient Egyptians. Since earliest times they had seen the passing of the mortal body not as an end but as a beginning. Belief in the hereafter was the focal point of their outlook. It stimulated their thought, their moral principles and their art. In the foothills of the Theban massif, not far from the Valley of the Kings, lie more than 400 unique and wonderfully decorated tombs of individuals who served the New Kingdom pharaohs when Egypt commanded a vast empire. They spread over an area of about five square kilometres, from Dra Abu Al-Naga in the north to Deir Al-Medina in the south, and range from those of courtiers and high officials, to artisans, field workers, and a mass of ordinary folk. The magnificent paintings and painted reliefs provide fascinating detail of aspects of life on earth envisioned for the afterlife. Paradise was inevitable, and was anticipated with a sense of delight.
