The concept of the afterlife played a significant role in ancient Egyptian culture. Therefore, Egyptians paid considerable attention to the process of burial. A wide variety of diverse traditions and rituals was closely linked with funerary practices. The Great Pyramids are the most well-known remains of these traditions. However, there are other less noticeable, yet significant archeological findings related to the belief in the afterlife. One of these findings is the Book of the Dead. Egyptians buried nobles according to specific rituals and traditions. These rituals were primarily focused on preparing the person for the afterlife. Valuable belongings were buried with their owner. The Book of the Dead was a specific handbook written in order to help the dead in the afterlife and guide them in the underworld.
Food represents an essential part of human life, which is not sufficiently studied. Even though people eat and drink on a daily basis, nutrition is primarily studied from a medical perspective. The lack of knowledge related to food and particularly the existence of food sources and food chains in ancient times may be the reason why food is frequently associated with the gods in ancient cultures.1 To these civilizations, food had a semi-divine value. Harvest and harvest times were especially significant to ancient people as their survival depended on the fertility of lands and the ability to gather enough food. Hence harvest was closely linked with religious beliefs and rituals.
Throughout history, food and nutrition were viewed from different perspectives. Nevertheless, in most cases, they essentially influenced the development of culture and even the traditions related to religion and the concept of the afterlife. Ancient Egypt may not be an exception as food is proven to play a considerable role in their burials and rituals. Nutrition is also was mentioned in such ancient inscriptions as the Book of the Dead. Cakes and beer are mentioned as offerings to the gods. They may also serve as a symbol of wealth and prosperity in the afterlife.
Copies of the Book of the Dead were first discovered and studied by Western archeologists in the early 19th century. Rolls of papyrus were found in various graves with mummies. Discoverers called them the “book of the dead men” or the “book of the dead.” These initial titles did not fully correspond to the content of the scrolls and scripts as the first discoverers were not scholars but grave-robbers. One of these scrolls was fully translated in 1846 by Karl Richard Lepius. Methods of translation developed by Lepius are still used by modern researchers to determine chapters and spells. He also encouraged other historians to collect found versions of these manuscripts in one source.
The original name of these Books of the Dead, consisting of numerous scrolls, was the Book of Going Forth by Day. Unfortunately, these texts do not provide valuable information regarding the lives and actions of people buried in the tombs, yet they contain significant data related to traditions and religion. They mostly consist of distinct spells designed to help the soul of a dead person navigate in the afterlife properly. The Pyramid Texts may be the most ancient copies of such manuscripts. These texts provide information, which was considered to be valuable by the ancient Egyptians for their Pharaoh to survive in the afterlife.
During the Middle Kingdom throughout the 18th and 21st Dynasties The Coffin texts first appeared. Incredibly long papyrus that were approximately seventy five feet contained these unique texts. These texts were also written on pieces of furniture and significant objects located in the crypt by priests. These Coffin Texts primarily contained spells with individual titles. However they were not arranged in a specific way and frequently followed a random order. Amulets were also used to protect the soul in the afterlife. Therefore, these spells were also carved on amulets.
These texts were used in the crypts of wealthy citizens and were much more common than the spells located in the Pyramids. These texts related to diverse aspects of afterlife and even contained guidelines on how to “assemble a man’s family in the realm of the dead.” Such instruction could refer both to the relatives of the dead Egyptian and to his or her servants and close people. During the period, people were buried not only with their valuable belongings and food but also they shared same tombs with their relatives.
Spells represent an inseparable part of the Book of the Dead. According to some sources, almost 200 chapters of diverse spells were discovered, yet no compilations were found containing all of the existing spells. These spells provided diverse information, including advice about the gods, so the dead could recognize them and treat them properly. In some cases, spells ensured that all the elements of a soul’s being were safe and reunited into a single entity.
Other spells included information about different offerings, including food. Priests developed these numerous spells in order to help the dead by guiding them through the Tuat, which implied complicated challenges and obstacles during the journey. Most of the existing copies of the Book of the Dead never repeat the others in terms of spell choice and their order. These books were divided into several parts, which had a particular meaning and significance for ancient Egyptians.
The first part depicts how the dead person arrives at the grave or tomb and is buried. Then the dead proceeds on his journey to Tuat, and the soul returns so the body could move and the person could speak.2 The second part gives valuable information and advice regarding the gods. That part generally serves as a guide to help the dead person navigate in the afterlife. Different places and locations are described to provide more knowledge about the Tuat.
These guides are primarily designed to help the soul to survive and be reborn. The third part depicts how the soul continues with its journey by traveling the sky as one of the “blessed dead.” It also describes how the soul interacts with Osiris at the end of its journey to the Tuat. The last part provides information about the places in the Tuat to help the soul in traveling through them. The souls are vindicated before the gods, and then they become one of the gods themselves. That part also mentions the use of amulets designed to protect the soul and food that should help it survive.
In The Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani, food is also mentioned as an essential part of the afterlife. The spell or even a prayer3 asks Osiris to accept the dead man to the afterlife in the temple of Anubis and to provide him with “milk, cakes, loaves, cups of drink, and meat of flesh.” It not only introduces valuable information regarding the products, which were considered significant in ancient Egypt but also suggests that feasting was vital in the Egyptian concept of the afterlife.
However, it appears to be necessary to be worthy of achieving a prosperous afterlife. Therefore, it is also mentioned in The Book of the Dead that Ani never committed a list of crimes or sins such as murder or stealing the offerings from the gods. Another significant role of food in that ritual is its value as an offering and as a symbol. It is said3 that Ani offered Osiris “a bull, vegetables, incense, ducks, offerings of flowers, beer, and vegetables.”
Such statements were supposed to not only appease the gods but also manifest that Ani was an honorable man who maintained traditions. Hence he is worthy of a decent afterlife. Ancient Egyptians also viewed food and nutrition as a source of pleasure and believed that it serves the same purpose in the underworld. It may be confirmed by the fact that in the texts, the dead ask to “let them eat.”
The idea of the necessity of being worthy in order to achieve a carefree and prosperous afterlife is common throughout history. Numerous religious beliefs share the same concept of good and evil or the concept of sin and eternal punishment. Egyptian beliefs are no exception as it was believed to be necessary not to be sinful to have a decent afterlife. Food may appear to be an essential part of such a “decent and happy afterlife.” They used food as offerings for the goods and expected to be able to taste it even after death. Eating delirious meals was considered to be an important pleasure, and ancient Egyptians followed the rituals not to miss the opportunity to enjoy meals in the afterlife.
Conclusively, food played a significant role in human history, and that area of knowledge unjustly received insufficient study. Numerous cultures and societies developed considerable rules, rituals, and traditions related to the consumption of food. In some cases, food even served other purposes unrelated to its primary function. Ancient Egyptians paid great attention to religious beliefs and the concept of the afterlife. Food also was an essential part of ancient Egyptian culture. Consequently, food became an inseparable part of burial rituals, texts, and spells. In burials, food served a list of different purposes.
First, it was introduced as an offering for the gods, which was supposed to help the dead person get to the underworld. Second, it was used as a symbol of a prosperous afterlife. Egyptians buried various belongings with them as they believed that they would be able to use them after death. Therefore, they also buried food in vessels so the souls of dead people can eat it in the afterlife. Finally, food was a significant part of the eternal pleasure in the underworld, and being offered a meal was a symbol of being accepted.
Bibliography
Albala, Ken. The Food History Reader: Primary Sources. Bloomsbury Academic, An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2015.
Brown, Marley. ” To Die Like an Egyptian.” Archaeology 70, no. 5 (2017): 44-47. Web.
Okri, Ben. ” Food, Ritual, and Death.” Callaloo 38, no. 5 (2015): 1034-036. Web.
Footnotes
- Okri, Ben. “Food, Ritual, and Death.” Callaloo 38, no. 5 (2015): 1034-036.
- Brown, Marley. “To Die Like an Egyptian.” Archaeology 70, no. 5 (2017): 44-47.
- Ken Albala, The Food History Reader: Primary Sources (Bloomsbury Academic, An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2015).