The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts

This authoritative English translation of the Middle Kingdom "Coffin Texts is an essential resource for all Egyptologists. The new edition reprints Faulkner's whole work in one volume. Filling the gap between the "Pyramid Texts and the New Kingdom "Book of the Dead, these writings were intended to supply the deceased with the speeches he would need to achieve a secure and important position in the next world. As such they supply valuable insights into Egyptian beliefs and mortuary practices. Concise textual notes are kept to a minimum, allowing the character of the texts to be experienced as a whole. Indexes cover divinities, localities, celestial bodies, selected Egyptian words in translation and also the parts of boats and sailing gear that figure prominently in some spells. The first edition of the "Coffin Texts was published in 1978. These three works, which cover a period of around two thousand years, are the basis for understanding the religious thought of the ancient Egyptians.