Started: April 8
Finished: April 10
Notes: Having just finished this author's The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians, I thought I would go ahead and check out his text on the Egyptians' The Book of the Dead. The author had a chapter on this book in The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians, but here he expands upon that. Basically, The Book of the Dead is a collection of rites and magic spells that are supposed to guide and help the soul in the afterlife. Another interesting thing is that the Egyptians never actually had a Book of the Dead, but what we call The Book of the Dead is really a collection of ancient Egyptian writings from across thousands of years.
Mini review: Roughly the last fourth of this book from 1920 is a repeat of information found in The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians. Still, the earlier chapters offered some insight into these ancient texts. Not necessary reading for those who have read The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians, but it does expand a little on Egyptian beliefs concerning the afterlife, which were quite complex and did change from time to time during the thousands of years ancient Egypt was in power in one form or another.
Probably good reference. I've never read it.
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