THE BOOK OF THE DEAD AND THE BOOK OF THE LIVING

The Book of the Dead is the modern name of an Ancient Egyptian funerary text that was used from the beginning of the New Kingdom, after the fall of Egypt.

The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated, is conventionally translated by Egyptologists as Book of the exit to the day, or 'Book of the emergency to the light'. The text consisted of a series of magical spells intended to help the deceased overcome the judgment of Osiris, assist them in their journey through the Duat, the underworld, and travel to the Aaru, in the afterlife.