Editing Book of the Dead (section)

== Development ==
[[File:Hieroglyph Text from Teti I pyramid.jpg|right|thumb|Part of the ''[[Pyramid Texts]]'', a precursor of the ''Book of the Dead'', inscribed on the tomb of [[Teti]]]]
The ''Book of the Dead'' developed from a tradition of funerary manuscripts dating back to the Egyptian [[Old Kingdom]]. The first funerary texts were the [[Pyramid Texts]], first used in the Pyramid of King [[Unas]] of the [[5th Dynasty]], around 2400 BC.<ref>Faulkner p. 54</ref> These texts were written on the walls of the burial chambers within pyramids, and were exclusively for the use of the pharaoh (and, from the [[6th Dynasty]], the queen). The Pyramid Texts were written in an unusual [[hieroglyph]]ic style; many of the hieroglyphs representing humans or animals were left incomplete or drawn mutilated, most likely to prevent them causing any harm to the dead pharaoh.<ref name="Taylor 2010, p. 54">Taylor 2010, p. 54</ref> 

The purpose of the Pyramid Texts was to help the dead king take his place amongst the [[ancient Egyptian deities|gods]], in particular to reunite him with his divine father [[Ra]]; at this period the afterlife was seen as being in the sky, rather than the underworld described in the ''Book of the Dead''.<ref name="Taylor 2010, p. 54"/> Towards the end of the Old Kingdom, the Pyramid Texts ceased to be an exclusively royal privilege, and were adopted by regional governors and other high-ranking officials.<ref name="Taylor 2010, p. 54" />

In the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]], a new funerary text emerged, the [[Coffin Texts]]. The Coffin Texts used a newer version of the language, new spells, and included illustrations for the first time. The ''Coffin Texts'' were most commonly written on the inner surfaces of coffins, though they are occasionally found on tomb walls or on papyri.<ref name="Taylor 2010, p. 54"/> The Coffin Texts were available to wealthy private individuals, vastly increasing the number of people who could expect to participate in the afterlife; a process which has been described as the "democratization of the afterlife".<ref>D'Auria et al p.187</ref>

The ''Book of the Dead'' first developed in [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] toward the beginning of the [[Second Intermediate Period]], around 1700 BC. The earliest known occurrence of the spells included in the ''Book of the Dead'' is from the coffin of Queen [[Mentuhotep (queen)|Mentuhotep]], of the [[Sixteenth Dynasty of Egypt|16th Dynasty]], where the new spells were included amongst older texts known from the Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts. Some of the spells introduced at this time claim an older provenance; for instance the rubric to spell 30B states that it was discovered by the [[Djedefhor|Prince Hordjedef]] in the reign of King [[Menkaure]], many hundreds of years before it is attested in the archaeological record.<ref>Taylor 2010, p.34</ref>

By the [[17th dynasty of Egypt|17th Dynasty]], the ''Book of the Dead'' had become widespread not only for members of the royal family, but courtiers and other officials as well. At this stage, the spells were typically inscribed on linen shrouds wrapped around the dead, though occasionally they are found written on coffins or on papyrus.<ref>Taylor 2010, p. 55</ref>

The [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] saw the ''Book of the Dead'' develop and spread further. The famous Spell 125, the '[[Weighing of the Heart]]', is first known from the reign of [[Hatshepsut]] and [[Thutmose III]], {{circa|1475 BC}}. From this period onward the ''Book of the Dead'' was typically written on a papyrus scroll, and the text illustrated with [[vignette (graphic design)|vignette]]s. During the [[19th Dynasty]] in particular, the vignettes tended to be lavish, sometimes at the expense of the surrounding text.<ref>Taylor 2010, p.35&ndash;7</ref>

In the [[Third Intermediate Period of Egypt]], the ''Book of the Dead'' started to appear in [[hieratic]] script, as well as in the traditional hieroglyphics. The hieratic scrolls were a cheaper version, lacking illustration apart from a single vignette at the beginning, and were produced on smaller papyri. At the same time, many burials used additional funerary texts, for instance the [[Amduat]].<ref>Taylor 2010, p.57&ndash;8</ref>
[[File:Medjed Cairo 95658.png|thumb|289x289px|Deities with varying animal heads, [[Medjed]] is shown on the far left, a vignette from the papyrus for Ankhefenkhonsu]]
During the [[25th dynasty|25th]] and [[26th dynasty|26th Dynasties]], the ''Book of the Dead'' was updated, revised and standardized. Spells were ordered and numbered consistently for the first time. This standardized version is known today as the 'Saite recension', after the Saite (26th) Dynasty. In the [[Late Period of ancient Egypt|Late period]] and [[Ptolemaic period]], the ''Book of the Dead'' continued to be based on the Saite recension, though increasingly abbreviated towards the end of the Ptolemaic period. New funerary texts appeared, including the ''[[Book of Breathing]]'' and ''[[Book of Traversing Eternity]]''. The last use of the ''Book of the Dead'' was in the 1st century BC, though some artistic motifs drawn from it were still in use in Roman times.<ref>Taylor 2010, p.59&nbsp;60</ref>