The literature that makes up the ancient Egyptian funerary texts is a collection of religious documents that were used in

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

, usually to help the spirit of the concerned person to be preserved in the

afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

. They evolved over time, beginning with the

Pyramid Texts The Pyramid Texts are the oldest ancient Egyptian funerary texts, dating to the late Old Kingdom. They are the earliest known corpus of ancient Egyptian religious texts. Written in Old Egyptian, the pyramid texts were carved onto the subterranea ...

in the

Old Kingdom In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning –2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth Dynast ...

through the

Coffin Texts The Coffin Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary spells written on coffins beginning in the First Intermediate Period. They are partially derived from the earlier Pyramid Texts, reserved for royal use only, but contain substantial n ...

of the Middle Kingdom and into several books, most famously the

Book of the Dead The ''Book of the Dead'' is the name given to an Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC ...

, in the

New Kingdom New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

and later times.

Old Kingdom

The funerary texts of the

were initially reserved for the king only. Towards the end of the period, the texts appeared in the tombs of royal wives.

Middle Kingdom

These are a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary spells written on coffins beginning in the

First Intermediate Period The First Intermediate Period, described as a 'dark period' in ancient Egyptian history, spanned approximately 125 years, c. 2181–2055 BC, after the end of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom. It comprises the seventh Dynasty, Seventh (altho ...

. Nearly half of the spells in the Coffin Texts derive from those in the Pyramid Texts.

New Kingdom

Amduat The ''Amduat'' (, () is an important Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Similar to previous funerary texts, such as the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom's Pyramid Texts, or the First In ...

* Spell of the Twelve Caves *

The Book of Gates The Book of Gates is an Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text dating from the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom. The ''Book of Gates'' is long and detailed, consisting of one hundred scenes. It narrates the passage of a ...

* Book of the Netherworld *

Book of Caverns A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

Book of the Earth The Book of the Earth () is an Ancient Egyptian funerary text that has been called many names such as The Creation of the Sun Disk and the Book of Aker. The Book primarily appears on the tombs of Merneptah, Twosret, Ramesses III, Ramesses VI, and ...

Litany of Re The Litany of Re (or more fully "''Book of Praying to Re in the West, Praying to the United One in the West''") is an important ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom.Hornung (1999) p.136 Like many funerary texts, it was written on the ...

Late New Kingdom

*Books of the Sky After the Amarna Period, a new set of funerary texts began to be used.Hornung 1999, p.113 These centre on representations of Nut, the sky goddess. They represent the nighttime journey of the sun into and through her body, with her giving birth to the rejuvenated sun in the morning. From the

tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...

Ramesses IV Usermaatre Heqamaatre Setepenamun Ramesses IV (also written Ramses or Rameses) was the third pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. He was the second son of Ramesses III and became crown prince when his elder br ...

onwards two of these ''Books of the Sky'' were usually placed next to each other on the ceiling of royal tombs. *

Book of Nut The ''Book of Nut'' (original title: ''The Fundamentals of the Course of the Stars'') is a collection of Ancient Egypt, ancient Egyptian astronomical texts focusing on mythological subjects, cycles of the stars of the decans, and the movements o ...

* Book of the Day * Book of the Night * Book of the Heavenly Cow

Late Period

Books of Breathing The Books of Breathing ( ) are several ancient Egyptian funerary texts, intended to enable deceased people to continue existing in the ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs, afterlife. The earliest known copy dates to circa 350 BC.Hornung 1999, pp. ...

Ptolemaic

* Book of Traversing Eternity