Copies of this Sacred Text were placed in the tombs of deceased royalty. Written by various scribes over a period of years, the book is made up of spells and magic formulas as well as some general tips about making a good impression in the Hereafter (Ch. 125 for example, suggests that when a dead ruler appears before the gods of judgment, he should make a point to list all the evil things he has NOT done.)
"Picture Writing" can be found on many ancient Egyptian monuments. Although hieroglyphs may simply stand for the objects they depict, they more often represented sounds. The oldest hieroglyphs are still indecipherable. In the 17th century came early attempts at deciphering. It wasn't until the translation of the inscriptions found on "The Rosetta Stone" (an ancient Egyptian stone discovered in 1799) that led to the unraveling of the mystery and an understanding of the mystery and an understanding of hieroglyphic writing.
During the mummification process, the internal organs of the deceased stomach, liver, lungs, etc. were placed in 4 Canopic jars. The jars were made of limestone or alabaster. Each jar lid was carved in the likeness of one of the 4 sons of Horus. One a Human head (Imsety), a Jackal head (Qebhsenuef), a Baboon head (Hapi) and a Falcon head (Duamutef). In later centuries the use of canopic jars ended as the embalmers began preserving and wrapping various organs and then placing them back in the body.
Copyright © 2001 T. H. Nishimura
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