Journey through the afterlife: the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead coming to the British Museum
Never before the Book of the Dead has been the focus of such a major exhibition as the one upcoming at the British Museum in November this year. Rumours of the exhibition started to surface (or at least, reach my ears) ever since the Colloquium on the Book of the Death last year, but was only recently confirmed. 'Journey through the afterlife: the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead' will focus on how the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead was thought to guide the deceased safely through the dangers of the underworld, ultimately (hopefully) ensuring eternal life. The Book of the Dead is not a single text, but a compilation of spells - often with illustrations of the underworld - of which the content evolved over time.
'Journey through the afterlife: the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead' will feature illustrated manuscripts of the Book of the Dead on papyrus and linen - used by Egyptians from around 1600 BC to the 1st century AD - many from the British Museum’s own collection, supplemented by loans of important items from other museums worldwide. The exhibition will focus on the most important papyri - many of which cannot be on permanent display for conservation reasons - to tell the story of the journey to the next world and to set in context crucial episodes such as the "weighing of the heart", by which the dead were judged.
One of the most famous versions of the Book on display in London will be the complete papyrus of Hunefer, one of the most beautifully painted of all and with 37 metres the longest Book of the Dead known.
Through all of these these remarkable objects - also in display will be funerary items such as shabtis, amulets, jewellery, statues and coffins, all used to aid the deceased in attaining the perfect afterlife - the exhibition will explore the full journey from death to the afterlife.
The British Museum promises that through using state-of-the-art visualisation technology and recent research, the exhibition will provide new and interactive ways of understanding the Book of the Dead.
'Journey through the afterlife: the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead' runs from November 4th, 2010 to the 6th of March 2011 at the Reading Room of the British Museum. The entrance fee is £12, and British Museum members get in - as many times as they want - for free.
If you want to brush up on your Book of the Dead related knowledge in advance of the opening, have a look at what Sean and I learned at the 'Book of the Dead' conference that was held at the British Museum last year. My favourite must have been the clear explanation that Britget Leach and Richard Parkinson from the British Museum gave on the use of pigments and 'serial manufacturing' on the Papyrus of Ani.
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brovo
Thanks for writing about this amazing sounding book. Shame I will be overseas when the exhibition is on. Have you heard of the huge book/set of engravings Napoleon commissioned in the early 1800s following his conquest of Egypt? It was the largest printed book that had been made in history and showed many of the beatiful details from the tombs and pyramids. You can see examples here http://vintage-royalty-free-images.com/ancient-egypt-c-44_45.html and http://www.finerareprints.com/vol-travel-description-de-la-egypte-napole...
I wouldn’t waste my time!
John Taylor the Exhibition Curator put together a very boring show and an uninspiring audio tour guide. The tour could of easy moved the crowds of people through the exhibition, giving content on each artifact but instead Mr. Taylor left you walking in circles in the extremely low lighting that left you unable to see where the audio related items where.
Last year I was in San Francisco for TUTANKHAMUN and The Golden Age of the Pharaohs and it blew this out of the water! Mr. Taylor should look towards the de Young Museum for creative inspiration and knowledge on how put together a first class show.
I didn't try the audio tour, but would say the exhibition is well worth a visit - although maybe not entirely its full access fee. I do agree that it is mostly a walk-stop-read-walk-stop-read exhibition, and some more interactivity would have been nice. (Eg compose your own book of the dead computer setup, or 'try if you can get past the demons', ... ) The British Museum stays very conservative in their exhibitions, compared to smaller museums -- these need to make 'the most' out of their (definitely) smaller collections. I believe the BM does target a different audience from the touring Tut exhibition. We've just returned from the Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures replica show at Manchester, and I must suggest, if you have kids, do take them to Manchester rather than to the Book of the Dead exhibition. My biggest 'frustration' came after exiting the exhibition -- the fluffy camels for sale at the gift shop. Quite out-of-period. ;)
The 'low-light conditions' though, are understandable. As far as I know, light helps papyrus decay. That and the exhibition catalogues is a fascinating read. (So rather than two people visiting the exhibition, purchase the book in joint ownership? ;))
The website was ok it kind of sucked-no offence!!!
fluffy camels arent that bad :)