Through the Eras

ReligionDepiction in a tomb of the tomb owner performing certain tasks in the Field of Reeds in the company of the gods. © BOJAN BRE-CELJ/CORBIS. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.such backbreaking labor personally, the well-preparedEgyptian was buried with a number of shawabti-figurines,which responded for him or her when the deceased wascalled on to do manual labor in the afterlife.BEGINNING OF A NEW DAY. Although the idea ofspending the afterlife in the company of Osiris wasprominent in the Book of the Dead, the idea of spendingeternity in the solar barque (sailing vessel) with Re hadnot disappeared. Beginning with the Eighteenth-dynastytomb of Thuthmosis I (r. 1493–1481 B.C.E.), a new typeof funerary text made its appearance, the so-called UnderworldBooks. Included in this category are such works asthe Amduat (“That Which is in the Underworld”), theBook of Gates, the Book of Caverns, and the Book of theEarth. These works describe the sun’s journey throughthe underworld, which begins at sunset and concludeswith the sun’s rise from the waters of Nun, rejuvenatedand ready to begin a new day. The underworld was dividedinto twelve sections, corresponding to the twelvehours of the night. During this time, Re, as the sun,bestows his life-giving rays on the dead who inhabit theunderworld. Re travels through the underworld in hisbarque that sails on the waters of Nun, the primevalocean. At times, hostile creatures try to stop the barque,but due to the efforts of Re’s entourage, they fail. At sunrise,Re successfully completes his journey through theunderworld, bringing life and light to its inhabitants,including Osiris, and begins the new day rejuvenated.THE DAMNED. Not all the dead, however, wereallowed to share in the life-giving rays of the sun duringthe night. The lowest level of the underworld was reservedfor the damned, those who had not successfullypassed the final judgment. These unfortunate individualsbecome identified with the enemies of Osiris and Re,and are consigned to the Hetemit (“Place of Destruction”).There they suffer decapitation and dismemberment, includingremoval of the genitals and heart. They are suspendedupside down, with their severed heads betweentheir feet. Other scenes show them being boiled in cauldronsheated by fire-breathing snakes, or being incinerateddirectly by such serpents. They are doomed to spendeternity submerged in the “Lake of Fire.” Perhaps worstof all, not only are their bodies subject to torture anddestruction, but so are their bas. Scenes from the under-246 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)