In ancient Egypt, death was not seen to be a humane enough means to put an end to one's
suffering.
Even in the afterlife, danger lurked around every corner, and the deceased had to overcome
what amounted to a spiritual obstacle course in order to arrive at Aaru, the glorious realm
where Osiris, the God of Death, resided.
There were at least two routes to get to Aaru: one was by land, and the other was by sea.
Both were challenging enough that they called for the use of a guidebook, which was suitably
called the Book of Two Ways.
It's possible that this complex map of the underworld of ancient Egypt was the first
illustrated "book" in the history of our planet.
And archaeologists have only recently uncovered a copy that is 4,000 years old, making it
arguably the oldest version that has ever been found.
What chilling messages does this book hold, and what does its content mean for Egyptologists?
Stay with us until the very end to learn everything there is to know about this most recent shocking
discovery.
The discovery, which was recently written about in a paper that was published in the
Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, pushes the history of ancient literature further back
in time.
It also demonstrates the level of commitment and ingenuity with which these individuals
attempted to solve the mystery of their own mortality.
An Egyptology curator at the University of California, Berkeley named Rita Lucarelli
stated in an interview that the ancient Egyptians were "obsessed with life in all its forms."
"Death was the beginning of a new life for them."
There are only about twenty additional copies of Book of Two Ways known to current archaeologists,
so the newest one is actually the oldest one of the lot.
According to an article that Colin Barras wrote for New Scientist in October, it beats
the previous record holder by around 40 years.
The text was found in a coffin that had largely eluded the attention of both grave robbers
and earlier generations of archaeologists.
It was discovered during excavation of a burial pit in the Egyptian village of Dayr al-Barsh.
The ancient text was not a solitary volume like the bound books we have now; rather,
it was part of a larger collection.
Instead, portions of the text were inscribed on the interior of the sarcophagus itself,
and these portions have been preserved in the shape of two rotting cedar panels that
are engraved with images and hieroglyphs.
The inscriptions make direct reference to the Book of Two Ways, and additional objects
in the tomb have been dated to the time of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II, who ruled Egypt until
2010 B.C.
The author of the study, Harco Willems, an Egyptologist at the University of Leuven in
Belgium, stated in an interview that such "coffin texts" were supposed to "situate the
deceased in the world of the gods."
This sarcophagus housed a high-status woman named Ankh, however the afterlife instructions
on her final resting place refer to her as "he."
According to Kara Cooney, an expert on Egyptian art and architecture at the University of
California, Los Angeles, rebirth was associated most closely with male gods in ancient Egypt.
As a result, dead women were required to adopt the pronoun "he" in order to be more similar
to Osiris himself, she explained.
However, there were some clues of customization in Ankh's Book of Two Ways.
The poem hinted that she may have encountered an obstacle early on in her voyage in the
form of a ring of fire.
In later years, it's possible that she battled evil spirits, demons, and even earthly threats
like fire.
The only defense against these calamities were spells cast by the dead Ankh herself.
Fortunately, the companion material that came with it contained detailed instructions on
how to perform these incantations.
The "maps" in this book and others like it are a confusing mess of winding lines and
sinister figures—symbols that are impossible to decipher in this day and age.
Some experts believe that the depictions were derived from images of life, rather than images
of death, and that they were supposed to evoke rites that were intended to bring gods or
humans who had died back from the dead.
In either case, the texts represented rebirth, whether in this world or another.
Most historians agree that the earliest types of writing appeared around 5000 years ago,
and thanks to the discovery of innumerable remarkable books in recent years, they've
helped us piece together a picture of what life would have been like thousands of years
ago.
These written reports cover a wide range of issues, but it's the ones we don't comprehend
that pique our curiosity.
An intriguing book has purportedly been discovered in Egypt, with the finders claiming that the
book appears to be thousands of years old and written in a language that they were unable
to translate.
They shared some photos on social media in the hopes that someone would be able to translate
it and provide some background information.
A local tour guide discovered the book on the Giza Plateau, according to the man, and
he was able to hold it and photograph it.
He stated that his present whereabouts is unknown, but that it is most likely being
sold on the black market, which is customary when such discoveries are made.
One person argued that because the book is written in an ancient language, it may let
the reader communicate with a higher power.
The Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest in human history.
The Ancient Egyptians are well-known for their contributions to art, medicine, and the legendary
documentation of discoveries.
The Egyptians were experts in incorporating anatomy and mythology into artistic symbols
and figures.
One of the most well-known mythologies in ancient Egypt is that of Isis, Osiris, and
Horus.
The Eye of Horus, taken from the tale of Isis and Osiris, was employed as a symbol of prosperity
and protection.
This symbol has a remarkable relationship between neuroanatomical structure and function.
The Eye is composed of six distinct artistic pieces.
From a mythical standpoint, each portion of the Eye is regarded as a separate symbol.
Furthermore, sections of the Eye represent words in the series 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and
1/32; when this image is placed on a sagittal image of the human brain, each part appears
to correlate to the anatomic position of a specific human sensorium.
The man who submitted the photographs admitted that he couldn't hold it for long, but he
could tell it was old.
He stated that he appears to be unable to decipher at least two languages or styles
of writing.
According to one source, the book appears to be ancient, and it makes sense that such
a book would exist given that ancient Egypt was known to have the Eye of Horus, which
they adored.
They saw it as a protective emblem, so it seems logical that you'd find it on an old
book.
The ancient Egyptians used this emblem on everything as a good luck charm.
In terms of the book's legitimacy, there's a lot of money to be made with these kinds
of findings, especially if they're sold through unregulated markets.
It could be authentic, but it could also be a recreation or a complete fabrication.
In a separate find, the ancient manuscript known as the "BOOK OF THE DEAD" was uncovered
from within an Egyptian tomb.
This ancient Book of the Dead scroll, recently found at Egypt's Saqqara necropolis, may not
be bound in human skin like the infamous Necronomicon shown in the Evil Dead films, but it does
serve as a chilling guide to the hereafter.
International researchers led by renowned Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass discovered a
new trove of antiquities at the 4,200-year-old funeral temple of Queen Nearit, wife of Pharaoh
Teti.
Teti ruled Egypt between around 2323 and 2291 B.C.
The treasure includes over 50 wooden sarcophagi, a Senet board game, a river boat with rowers,
a statue of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, wooden masks, an Anubis shrine, and a burial sanctuary dedicated
to an Old Kingdom queen, in addition to the 13-foot-long Book of the Dead papyrus scroll
depicting paths to the netherworlds of the deceased.
According to an official statement issued by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities,
Dr. Hawass and his colleagues discovered the coffins and various antiquities dating back
to the New Kingdom era (1570-1069 B.C.) in 52 distinct burial tunnels ranging from 33
to 40 feet deep.
These vast burial cemeteries can be found in Memphis, Egypt's former capital.
This lucky discovery occurred after many seasons of excavations in the funeral temple representing
Queen Nearit's cult, which surrounds the pyramid of King Teti, the first king of Dynasty 6.
The cache of sarcophagi was embellished with ancient god murals and fragments from the
Book of the Dead, a spiritual manual said to aid the recently deceased in getting to
Aaru, the heavenly paradise where Osiris dwells.
"The excavation started in 2010, when we discovered a pyramid of a queen next to the pyramid of
King Teti, but we didn't find a name inside the pyramid to tell us who the pyramid belonged
to," Dr. Hawass said.
"I'd never heard of this queen before.
Therefore, we add an important piece to Egyptian history, about this queen."
The 13-foot-long papyrus holding Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead, a text that ancient
Egyptians used as an instructional manual to explore the realms of the hereafter, was
perhaps the most intriguing item featured in the trove.
Pwkhaef, the owner of the sacred scroll, is inscribed on it.
The same name was discovered written on a wood coffin and a set of four shabti figurines
designed to serve the deceased.
Dr. Hawass further stated that this was the first time a long papyrus had been discovered
within a burial shaft.
The stone temple was made up of three mud-brick warehouses on its southeastern side, which
housed offerings sent to the queen and her husband.
It served as a focal point for rituals and offerings made for the queen's cult in order
to nourish and resurrect her everlasting spirit after death.
This large cemetery predates the coffins by at least eight centuries, adding to the historical
significance of the mission's extraordinary discovery and providing another piece of the
puzzle as to the site's origins.
Let us know what you think of these ancient Egyptian books in the comments section below