The Kemet Klub will run the online course ‘Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife’ with Egyptologist Maiken Mosleth King (University of Bristol) from 19 August to 23 September 2024. The sessions will take place on Monday evenings 7.30 – 9PM (UK time).
If you cannot attend the live sessions on Zoom, the recordings will be available to watch at your convenience. No prior knowledge is required.
Please follow this link to sign up.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The ancient Egyptians believed in a complex afterlife, in which the spirits of the dead could traverse the cosmos, visit the world of the living, and inhabit the realms of the gods. However, the journey to the kingdom of Osiris was filled with dangers, and the deceased would encounter many obstacles and fierce guardian deities. Sacred funerary texts such as the Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead were believed to equip the deceased with the knowledge required to successfully complete their journey to a blissful afterlife. During this 6-week course we will look at different funerary texts and their contents, and examine what these fascinating texts can tell us about ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and practices.
Intentionally esoteric and mysterious, the books of the afterlife are fascinating to explore but often difficult to understand. Some funerary texts are collections of spells that demonstrate a desire for how the soul can be reborn and provision the spirit with magical powers to avoid perils. Other afterlife literature forms a more linear narrative as we journey through the hours of the night to be successfully reborn. We will examine these different texts to identify the fears, hopes and desires of the Egyptians.
The late Eric Hornung argued that ‘the sun at midnight’ was central to the beliefs enshrined within these texts. Through our examination of these books we will explore both solar and Osiride forms of renewal as we endeavour to gain a detailed understanding of the ancient Egyptian view of life and death.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Week 1: Monday 19th August
The Pyramid Texts
Week 2: Monday 26th August
The Coffin Texts
Week 3: Monday 2nd September
The Book of the Dead
Week 4: Monday 9th September
The Book of Amduat and the Book of Gates
Week 5: Monday 16th September
The Litany of Ra and the Book of the Heavenly Cow
Week 6: Monday 23rd September
The Books of Breathing
Note: this is a fee-paying event run by an organisation which is not affiliated to, or funded by, the Classical Association