Book of the Dead

Two pictures from the Heruben papyrus of the Book of the Dead, a script that was found in most Egyptian burials. In one picture is a scene from daily life where two people are ploughing with oxen. In the other the jackal-headed Anubis, the god of the dead, stands among the gods.

Ancient Egyptian book of magic spells, known as the Book of Coming Forth by Day, buried with the dead as a guide to reaching the kingdom of Osiris, the god of the underworld.

Similar practices were observed by Orphic communities (6th-1st century BC) in southern Italy and Crete, who deposited gold laminae, inscribed with directions about the next world, in the graves of their dead. An ancient Buddhist example is the Bardo Thödol from Tibet. In medieval times, Christians could obtain advice about dying from a book entitled Ars Morendi/The Art of Dying.

Egyptian Books of the Dead were written on papyrus, and were usually illustrated with vignettes. Most books contained a picture showing the heart of the deceased being weighed against Truth, with Thoth recording the results, and a monster waiting to devour the untrue heart. Knowledge of the spells was considered essential for happiness after death, although the concept of reward for a good life began to creep in.