Description
Book SynopsisIn Ancient Egyptian Letters to the Dead: The Realm of the Dead through the Voice of the Living Julia Hsieh investigates the beliefs and practices of communicating with the dead in ancient Egypt through close lexical semantic analysis of extant Letters. Hsieh shows how oral indicators, toponyms, and adverbs in these Letters signal a practice that was likely performed aloud in a tomb or necropolis, and how the senders of these Letters demonstrate a belief in the power and omniscience of their deceased relatives and enjoin them to fight malevolent entities and advocate on their behalf in the afterlife. These Letters reflect universals in beliefs and practices and how humankind, past and present, makes sense of existence beyond death.
Trade Review"This book is beautifully illustrated and includes a chart of extant letters to the dead and a glossary. All the texts quoted are translated, with full explanatory notes. While intended for specialists, it is by no means esoteric, providing us with a variety of perspectives on the ancient Egyptians." - Wilfred G.E. Watson, in The Society for Old Testament Study Book List 2022
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Figures Abbreviations Introduction 1 What Are the Letters to the Dead? 2 What Can We Infer from the Letters to the Dead? Part 1 The Senders 1 Orality and Intertextuality 1 Orality 2 Intertextuality 2 Where Were the Letters Composed, Performed, and Deposited? 1 Geospatial Indicators 2 The Use of Bowls and the mnṯꜣ.t Vessel Part 2 The Recipients 3 Characteristics and Abilities of the Akh 1 The Akh in the Letters to the Dead 2 Akh as Advocate 3 Adversaries and Malevolent Akh 4 Literacy in the Afterlife Part 3 Textual Analysis of the Letters to the Dead 5 Transliteration, Translation, and Text Notes 1 Cairo Linen 2 Qau Bowl 3 Chicago Jar Stand 4 Letter N3737 5 Letter N3500 6 Hu Bowl 7 Boston Jar Stand 8 Stela of Nebetitef and the Misplaced Letter to the Dead 9 Louvre Bowl 10 Berlin Bowl 11 Cairo Bowl 12 Qubbet el-Hawa Bowl 13 Papyrus Berlin 10481 and 10482 14 Horhotep Ostracon 15 Oxford Bowl 16 Moscow Bowl Conclusion Supplementary Texts Summary Chart of Extant Letters to the Dead Glossary Bibliography Index
