Image illustrating the Book of Gates copied from the tomb of Ramesses III. The standard portrayal of an Egyptian is the first large figure at the top left. The other images are typical portrayals of Asiatics (long beards), Libyans (yellow/green cloak) and Nubians (black-skinned). However, in this image the labels differ from the norm. The black figure at the bottom left is labelled as an Egyptian, and the captions for Asiatics and Libyans are transposed.

The Book of Gates is an Ancient Egyptian sacred text dating from the New Kingdom. It narrates the passage of a newly deceased soul into the next world, corresponding to the journey of the sun though the underworld during the hours of the night. The soul is required to pass though a series of 'gates' at different stages in the journey. Each gate is associated with a different goddess, and requires that the deceased recognise the particular character of that deity. The text implies that some people will pass through unharmed, but that others will suffer torment in a lake of fire. Download high resolution version (1272x800, 155 KB)Image from 1913 book illustrating the tomb of Ramesses III File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (1272x800, 155 KB)Image from 1913 book illustrating the tomb of Ramesses III File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Osirid statues of Ramses III at his temple at Medinet Habu. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... For the Star Wars planet, see Nubia (Star Wars). ... 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. ... In various religions, sacred (from Latin, sacrum, sacrifice; or simply in English, holy) objects, places or concepts are believed by followers to be intimately connected with the supernatural, or divinity, and are thus greatly revered. ... 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. ... The soul according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. ... By ancient tradition, the Sun is the light in the heavens whose presence is day and whose absence is night. ... Underworld relief - an artists depiction of where dead souls go. ... In Christian theology (and Biblical imagery), the lake of fire is a place of perpetual torment (see Revelation 20:14, 21:8). ...

The goddesses each have different titles, and wear different coloured clothes, but are identical in all other respects, wearing a five pointed star above their heads. Most of the goddesses are specific to the Book of Gates, and do not appear elsewhere in Egyptian mythology, and so it has been suggested that the Book of Gates originated as a merely a system for determining the time at night, with the goddess at each gate being a representation of the main star appearing during the hour. Egyptian mythology (or Egyptian religion) is the name for the succession of beliefs held by the people of Egypt until the coming of Christianity and Islam. ...

The titles of the goddesses are

The most famous part of the Book of Gates refers to the different races of humanity known to the Egyptians, dividing them up into four categories that are now conventionally labelled "Egyptians", "Asiatics", "Libyans", and "Nubians". These are depicted in procession entering the next world. The text and images associated with the Book of Gates appear in many tombs of the New Kingdom, including all the pharaonic tombs between Horemheb and Ramses VII. The Eye of Ra, also called the Eye of Horus This article is about the Egyptian god. ... In Egyptian mythology, the human soul is made up of five parts: the Ka, the Ba, the Akh, the Name and the Shadow. ... By ancient tradition, the Sun is the light in the heavens whose presence is day and whose absence is night. ... Dawn or civil dawn is the time at which the Sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the morning. ... nomen or birth name Horemheb was the last Pharaoh of Ancient Egypts 18th Dynasty. ... Ramses VII (reigned 1137 – 1129 BC) was the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. ...

See also

• Book of the Dead

SEE THE REAL DEAL PEOPLE: The Book of the Dead is the common name for the ancient Egyptian funerary texts known as The Book of Coming [or Going] Forth By Day. ...

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