The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Taught by Jenny Robbins
I became hooked on Ancient Egypt after reading "Sphinx" by Robin Cook when I was in high school. Fast-forward a couple of decades and I find myself immersed in all things Ancient Egyptian, graduating last summer with a Certificate in Egyptology from the University of Manchester’s 3-year program. Now I'm looking forward to sharing my enthusiasm for the topic with others. When I'm not reading about Ancient Egypt or studying Egyptian Hieroglyphs I'm at work in a far more contemporary field. . . Fashion.
The funerary literature of the Ancient Egyptians spanned more than 2500 years, from the Pyramid Texts, to the Coffin Texts and finally to the famous Book of the Dead.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead was a collection of magic spells and invocations that were written on papyrus, often with elaborate illustrations, and buried along with the deceased in his/her tomb to assist in the journey through the underworld to reach the afterlife.
Each Book of the Dead was filled with mentions of myths, magic and monsters. Come hear the history of the Book of the Dead, learn how the Ancient Egyptians' myths shaped their belief in reaching the afterlife and why after 2500 years it's still a fascinating read. (Don't worry, you won't need to read the Egyptian Hieroglyphs, I'll provide you with the translations of the best parts!) And the Book of the Dead version we'll be looking at is considered the most beautiful and elaborately illustrated Book of the Dead papyrus known to exist.
You'll learn about the most popular spells that were included in these papyri, including the 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony, the 'Weighing of the Heart', the 'Negative Confession' (it looks very much like an extended version of the Ten Commandments), and the Transformational spells.
At the end of the session you'll get a chance to convert your name to Egyptian Hieroglyphs and insert it into a sample chapter of the Book of the Dead so you can take a bit of Ancient Egypt home with you.
