by James P. Allen volume editor Peter Der Manuelian
SBL Press, 2005 eISBN: 978-1-58983-678-5 | Paper: 978-1-58983-182-7 Library of Congress Classification BL2430.P9713 2005 Dewey Decimal Classification 299.3138
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The Pyramid Texts are the oldest body of extant literature from ancient Egypt. First carved on the walls of the burial chambers in the pyramids of kings and queens of the Old Kingdom, they provide the earliest comprehensive view of the way in which the ancient Egyptians understood the structure of the universe, the role of the gods, and the fate of human beings after death. Their importance lies in their antiquity and in their endurance throughout the entire intellectual history of ancient Egypt. This volume contains the complete translation of the Pyramid Texts, including new texts recently discovered and published. It incorporates full restorations and readings indicated by post-Old Kingdom copies of the texts and is the first translation that presents the texts in the order in which they were meant to be read in each of the original sources.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
James P. Allen is Curator of Egyptian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the author of The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt (Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press), The Heqanakht Papyri (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs (Cambridge University Press), and other books on ancient Egypt.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS Series Editor's Foreword ix Introduction 1 Spell Numbers 3 Editorial History 4 Genres of Pyramid Texts 5 The Function of the Pyramid Texts 7 The World of the Pyramid Texts 8 A Note on Translation 12 I. The Pyramid Texts of Unis 15 Spells for Protection of the Mummy 17 The Offering Ritual 19 Response to the Offering Ritual 29 The Resurrection Ritual 31 Spells for Emerging from the Duat 41 Spells for Passing through the Akhet 43 Spells for the Spirit's Rebirth 50 Spells for Leaving the Akhet 55 Spells for Entering the Sky 60 Notes 61 II. The Pyramid Texts of Teti 65 Spells for Entering the Womb of Nut 67 The Offering Ritual 70 The Insignia Ritual 71 Response to the Offering Ritual 74 The Resurrection Ritual 76 Spells for Leaving the Duat 76 Spells for Entering the Akhet 79 Spells for Passing through the Akhet 84 The Morning Ritual 85 Spells for the Spirit's Rebirth 88 Spells for Leaving the Akhet 94 Fragments 94 Notes 94 III. The Pyramid Texts of Pepi I 97 Spells for Entering the Womb of Nut 100 The Offering Ritual 110 The Insignia Ritual 113 The Resurrection Ritual 115 Spells for Leaving the Duat 118 Spells for Proceeding to the Akhet 121 Spells for Entering the Akhet 122 Spells for Passing through the Akhet 134 The Morning Ritual 141 Spells for the Spirit's Rebirth 142 Spells for Proceeding to the End of the Akhet 147 Spells for Passing from the Akhet to the Sky 151 Spells for Opening the Door of the Sky 169 Spells for Entering and Leaving the Tomb 173 Spells for Emerging into the Sky 196 Spells for Daily Life and Protection 198 Fragments 200 Notes 201 IV. The Pyramid Texts of Merenre 209 Spells for Entering the Womb of Nut 211 The Burial Chamber Rituals 216 Response to the Offering Ritual 219 Spells for Opening the Door to the Akhet 220 Spells for Entering and Proceeding through the Akhet 221 The Morning Ritual 224 Spells for the Spirit's Rebirth 225 Spells for Proceeding to the End of the Akhet 225 Spells for Leaving the Akhet 226 Spells for Proceeding toward the Sky 226 Spells for Joining the Gods 230 Spells for Appearing at Dawn 231 Fragments 235 Notes 236 V. The Pyramid Texts of Pepi II 239 Spells for Entering the Womb of Nut 241 The Offering and Insignia Rituals 251 The Resurrection Ritual 265 Response to the Offering Ritual 269 The Morning Ritual 271 Spells for Leaving the Duat 273 Spells for Entering the Akhet 278 Spells for Crossing the Akhet 282 Spells for the Spirit's Rebirth 283 Spells for Approaching the Sky 289 Spells for Leaving the Akhet 297 Spells for Proceeding toward the Sky 297 Spells for Joining the Gods 299 Spells for Appearing at Dawn 299 Fragments 303 Notes 304 VI. The Pyramid Texts of Queen Neith 309 Spells for Entering the Womb of Nut 311 The Offering and Insignia Rituals 314 The Resurrection Ritual 321 Spells for Passing through the Akhet 327 Spells for the Spirit's Rebirth 327 Spells for Ascending to the Sky 331 Spells for Entering the Sky 332 Notes 334 Variants 337 The Pyramid Texts of Unis 337 The Pyramid Texts of Teti 337 The Pyramid Texts of Pepi I 339 The Pyramid Texts of Merenre 346 The Pyramid Texts of Pepi II 353 The Pyramid Texts of Queen Neith 368 Concordance of Text Numbers 375 A. Spells by Pyramid 375 B. Spells by Location 396 C. Spells by PT or Other Numbers 399 D. Spell Numbers and Spells not in Sethe's Edition 413 E. Utterance Numbers of Faulkner's Translation 417 F. MAFS Numbers 418 Bibliography 419 Glossary 425 Index 445