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REVIEW BY CAMPBELL PRICE
The goal of the afterlife – towards which so many wealthy ancient Egyptians apparently strove, and in the attainment of which so many objects and monuments were created – is fundamental to our idea of ‘ancient Egypt’. Rune Nyord very persuasively traces the reasons why this concept depended on partial Classical accounts and Christian expectations, rendering the commonly taught idea of a blissful ‘afterlife’ based on judgement of the deceased as something of a mirage.
The book is arranged chrono-logically, tracing descriptions of ancient Egyptian mortuary religion from Greek and Roman encounters with Egypt, through medieval accounts, up to the Egyptology of the early 20th century. Christianity plays a big role in the story – with some seeing Egyptian influence in the Christian tradition, creating a rather circular argument for understanding post-mortem beliefs. The author remarks on how persistent certain ideas were, often going essentially unchallenged for centuries – but also malleable enough to accommodate new archaeological and textual evidence. Especially interesting is discussion of the modern reception of the texts we know as the ‘Book of the Dead’ – which is still understood as a passport and guidebook to the ‘afterlife’, but which can be interpreted quite differently.
Nyord consciously sidesteps making judgements regarding some of those previously espoused ideas being more ‘correct’ than others. Methodologically, this is very refreshing – but to some readers may be frustrating. You will have to read Nyord’s many other insightful studies for his own take on what the evidence might actually have meant to, and how it was used by, an ancient Egyptian.
In the tradition of the best books – notably Christina Riggs’ 2014 Unwrapping Ancient Egypt (reviewed in AE 85), which it references – this will make uncomfortable reading for many. The approach taken is relatively uncommon in Egyptology: critiquing (and successfully undermining) significant received wisdom, while at the same time pointing to fresh interpretation of the indigenous sources. Another book exploring these is trailed in the concluding chapter – but this one is likely to quickly become essential reading for students of Egyptian religion.
Yearning For Immortality: The European Invention of the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife
by Rune Nyord
University of Chicago Press, 2025
ISBN 978-022683825-0
Paperback, £26
