The Amduat (literally "That Which Is In the Afterworld") is an important Ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom. Like many funerary texts, it was written on the inside of the tomb for reference by the deceased. Unlike other funerary texts, however, it was reserved only for pharaohs or very favored nobility. Map of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was the civilization of the Nile Valley between about 3000 BC and the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. As a civilization based on irrigation it is the quintessential example of an hydraulic empire. ... Funerary texts or funerary literature feature in many belief systems. ... The New Kingdom is the period in Egyptian history between the 16th century BCE and the 11th century BCE, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt. ... Pharaoh (Hebrew פַּרְעֹה (without niqqud: פרעה), Standard Hebrew Parʿo, Tiberian Hebrew Parʿōh, Arabic فرعون) is a title used to refer to the kings (of godly status) in ancient Egypt. ... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ...

It tells the story of Re, the sun god, travelling through the underworld, between the time the sun sets in the west and rises again in the east. It is understood that the dead pharaoh is taking this same journey, ultimately to unify with the sun god and become immortal. , , or This article is about the Egyptian god. ...

The underworld is divided into twelve hours of the night, each presenting various allies and enemies for the pharaoh/sun god to encounter. The Amduat names all of these entities, totalling many hundreds of gods and monsters. In fact, this is a prime purpose of the Amduat: to provide the names of these creatures to the spirit of the dead pharaoh, so he can call upon them for aid or use their name to defeat them.

The earliest complete version of the Amduat is found in KV34, the tomb of Thutmose III in the Valley of the Kings. KV34 is accessed by a steep metal staircase Tomb KV34 in the Valley of the Kings (near modern-day Luxor, Egypt) was the final resting place of 18th dynasty Pharaoh Thutmose III. One of the first tombs to be dug in the Valley, it was cut high in the cliff... nomen or birth name Granite statue of Pharaoh Thutmose III Menkheperre Thutmose III (also written as Tuthmosis III; called Manahpi(r)ya in the Amarna letters) (d. ... View over the East Valley The Valley of the Kings, or Wadi el-Muluk (وادي الملوك) in Arabic, is a valley in Egypt where tombs were built for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom, the Eighteenth through Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt. ...

External Links

http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/bat/index.htm