Mysterious, powerful and moving, this is one of the oldest and most influential texts in all history, made-up of a combination of prayers, spells and speeches that the ancient Egyptians buried with their dead, intended to aid the deceased on their journey into the afterlife and through the perils of the underworld. 'Deliver me from the Watchers who bear slaughtering knives, and who have cruel fingers.' Written as part of funeral rites to ensure eternal life, these scrolls were often left in the sarcophagus of the deceased and now offer fascinating insight into Egyptian culture. This deluxe gift edition has the most unusual and beautiful page edge decoration, that of the Egyptian eye and crosses and symbols and the Lotus flower printed in white onto the black page edges. The book is in jet black with gold foil title and a tipped in illustration of an Egyptian mummy and beautifully decorated endpapers, and contains images from the exquisite Papyrus of Ani, an ancient Egyptian scroll narrating the journey of Theban scribe Ani through the underworld. Its accompanying hieroglyphic text has been translated by acclaimed Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge, and includes spells addressed to ferryman, gods and kings to aid Ani on his way to the afterlife. Fully illus in colour, 208 scroll style coloured pages, 17.2 x 11.3cm. New full price.
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