Specialist on funerary texts, Dr Christina Geisen, joins our host Charlotte Jordan at the Egypt Exploration Society. Trace the 2,000-year evolution of ancient Egyptian funerary texts, including the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts and Book of the Dead. The episode highlights that these were never ‘books’, but unique sets of spells drawn from a shared but developing tradition. Explore how these examples shifted from royal to private spheres, even though belief in the afterlife was attested from very early Pharaonic history. Focus turns to examples from arguably the most famous text corpora: the Book of the Dead, including spells isolated for specific amulets. We touch upon the magical power of these documents, as their presence alone was enough to prepare the deceased for the journey to the afterlife. Finally, these texts link to actions of the gods an ...