Book of Caverns

The Book of Caverns is an important Ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom. Like many funerary texts, it was written on the inside of the tomb for reference by the deceased. It describes the journey of the sun god Ra through the six caverns of the underworld, focusing on rewards and punishments in the afterlife.

The earliest known version of this work is on the left hand wall of the Osireion in Abydos. It appears in the tomb of Ramesses IV in the Valley of the Kings, replacing the earlier Amduat. This appearance was recorded by Jean François Champollion in his letters from Egypt.

The book has no ancient title, and is not divided into hours of the night as other Ancient Egyptian funerary texts are.

The Book of Caverns originated in the Ramesside Period. It is a text about the underworld that speaks of those who fail their judgment in the afterlife, and also the rewards of those who pass the judgments. The Book of Caverns is one of the best sources of information about the Egyptian concept of hell.

The Book of Caverns is divided into two halves of six sections, and each half is divided into three other parts. The first half explains how the sun god Ra invokes beings and groups of gods. The other half is a descriptive text of the earlier books. The Book of Caverns is much more literary that other funerary books from the New Kingdom, such as The Book of Gates. It does not have as many pictures as the other books, but instead it is much more descriptive and lengthy.

The book describes the journey and tasks Ra must go through to eventually end up in the Light. Ra must take souls through the afterlife journey through many caverns guarded by gods and goddesses. Each cavern has its own task and if the soul does not pass then it is sent to nonexistence. A soul that is condemned to nonexistence is beheaded and has its hearts ripped out of its chest.

Read more about Book Of Caverns:  Section 1, Section 2, Sections 3 Through 6, History, Translation

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