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| Egypt Flights Home » Egyptian Mythology » Coffin Texts |
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Coffin Texts |
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The “Coffin Texts” evolved during the Middle Kingdom, around 2000 BC. A marked change in the way of life was noticed during this period, when afterlife was no longer considered to be a privilege of the Royal or the Nobles. This can very well be referred as the early seeds of democratization of thoughts. During this period, common men also engraved their coffins with religious spells and instructions that would help them in their afterlife. Painted in hieroglyphs, these writings were found on the coffins, tomb walls, canopic chests and even mummy masks. The “Coffin Texts” were actually originated from the pyramid texts, and formed the basis for the “The Book of Dead”.
The pyramid texts were documented versions of religious spells, prayers, guidance and descriptions, to facilitate the spirit of the Pharaoh to reach the other world, and attain the cult of the new Osiris or the sun. These texts give us a clue of the ancient Egyptian thinking, which believed that the Sky is the ultimate destination of the Pharaoh. These texts were later deciphered and it evolved as the “Book of the Dead” or the "The Book of the Coming forth by Day".
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Book of the Dead” or “The book of Coming Forth by Day”, were written in papyrus, and buried along with the mummy, so as to lead the deceased through various trials en route to the afterlife. They contained excerpts from Coffin Texts and Pyramid texts, and even pictorial depictions of life after death, as believed in those days.
Coffin texts contents: The pyramid texts were more concentrated on the celestial realm. However, the coffin texts emphasized more on the subterranean elements of afterlife. The afterlife was thought to be ruled by Osiris. A deceased is offered the life of an Osirian. The coffin texts contained all the rituals that helped the deceased to protect himself in his afterlife. During an Osirian life one faces many dangers.
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The coffin text contents protected the deceased to stay away from ‘dying a second death’. The texts also blessed the deceased with ritual actions to give protection and provide aspirations. Some texts also contained pictorial representations of afterlife realm along with a map of the underworld. These contents were later found in the Book of the Dead.
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