The Egyptian Book of the Dead was an Egyptian illustrated manuscript and funerary text. Prepared by scribes and artists upon each subject's death, the book would chronicle how the deceased triumphs over the challenges they face in the underworld and ultimately enter the afterlife. This practice developed during the third phase in the [[Evolution of Egyptian funerary texts]]. Narrative devices included: * magic spells that transfigure the deceased into powerful creatures * passwords granting access to various states of the udnerworld * prayers asking for protections from the gods * brilliant dreams of what the afterlife could be like: ascending into the heavents to become a star, traveling the sky with the sun god Ra, helping Osiris rule the underworld For each deceased subject, the Book of the Dead culminates with the final judgment, when the jackal-headed god Anubis, keeper of the dead, weighs the deceased's heart against a feather (a symbol of truth and law). This ritual evaluates if the deceased is "true of voice" and free from sin. Thoth, the ibis-headed scribe, writes the verdict on his palette. If the deceased fails, they are consumed by the monster Ammit, the devourer of the dead. If they pass, they spend the night traveling into the udnerworld and arrive the following morning. [[A consistent design format evolved for The Book of the Dead]]. Egyptians could commission a custom funerary papyrus or purchase a stock copy with their name written in the proper places. They could customize the number and choice of chapters, number and quality of illustrations, and length. Citations Meggs, P. B., & Purvis, A. W. (2016). Meggs' history of graphic Design, 6th edition. In _[[Meggs' History of Graphic Design]]_ (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Created: February 21, 2021 Last Modified: February 22, 2021