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February 19, 2026
‘People are in awe’: exhibition unveils ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead
A rare gilded and complete Book of the Dead, used by ancient Egyptians to help them to the afterlife, is now on display in Brooklyn
TL;DR
- Ancient Egyptians believed in a perilous journey to the afterlife, with various cultures having their own rituals and challenges.
- The Book of the Dead, a collection of approximately 160 incantations, was developed to help the deceased navigate the afterlife.
- A rare, complete, and gilded 2,000-year-old copy of the Book of the Dead is currently exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum.
- Gilding, particularly on images of crowns, sun disks, and shrines, was used to denote importance and symbolize rebirth, divinity, and eternity for the ancient Egyptians.
- The specific texts, their order, and wording varied in each copy of the Book of the Dead due to individual scribal interpretations and the lack of a strict consensus.
- The Brooklyn Museum's copy has a complex history, having been brought to America in the 19th century and undergoing extensive conservation to preserve its delicate papyrus.
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