OIMP 39. Book of the Dead: Becoming God in Ancient Egypt Foy Scalf, ed.

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This book explores what the Book of the Dead was to the ancient Egyptians, what it means to us today, what it was believed to do, how it worked, how it was made, and ultimately what happened to it. Edited by Foy Scalf, PhD, this volume includes fourteen essays showcasing the latest research on the Book of the Dead written by thirteen internationally renown experts as well as a complete catalog of the forty-five objects on display in an associated exhibit at the Oriental Institute Museum. Two famous Book of the Dead papyri, Papyrus Milbank and Papyrus Ryerson, are reproduced in their entirety with full-color photographs among nearly 400 illustrations for the first time. Discover how the ancient Egyptians controlled their immortal destiny and sought close association with the gods through the Book of the Dead.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Introduction: Preparing for the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt. Foy Scalf
List of Contributors
Egyptian Chronology
Map of Principal Areas and Sites Mentioned in the Text

I. THE BIRTH OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
1. What Is the Book of the Dead. Foy Scalf
2. The Origins and Early Development of the Book of the Dead. Peter F. Dorman
3. Language and Script in the Book of the Dead. Emily Cole
4. The Significance of the Book of the Dead Vignettes. Irmtraut Munro

II. PRODUCTION AND USE
5. How a Book of the Dead Manuscript Was Produced. Holger Kockelmann
6. The Ritual Context of the Book of the Dead. Yekaterina Barbash
7. Transmission of Funerary Literature: Saite through Ptolemaic Periods. Malcolm Mosher Jr.
8. The Archaeology of the Book of the Dead. Isabelle Régen

III. MAGIC AND THEOLOGY
9. Divinization and Empowerment of the Dead. Robert K. Ritner
10. The Mysteries of Osiris. Andrea Kucharek
11. Gods, Spirits, Demons of the Book of the Dead. Rita Lucarellli

IV. DEATH AND REDISCOVERY
12. The Death of the Book of the Dead. Foy Scalf
13. The Rediscovery of the Book of the Dead. Barbara Lüscher
14. Necrobibliomania: (Mis)appropriations of the Book of the Dead. Steve Vinson

V. CATALOG
-- Human Remains
-- Linen Bandages
-- Heart Scarabs
-- Sarcophagi and Coffins
-- Papyri Cases
-- Papyri
-- Magic Bricks
-- Funerary Figures
-- Stelae
-- Tomb Reliefs
-- Statues and Figures of Deities
-- Scribal Materials
Checklist of the Exhibit
Concordance of Museum Registration Numbers
Bibliography
 
  • Oriental Institute Museum Publications 39
  • Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 2017
  • ISBN-13: 978-1-61491-038-1
  • Pp. 376; 373 illustrations (most color)
  • Paperback 9 x 11.5 in
  • $34.95

➡ See museum registration information for the objects published in this volume