Book of Gates |
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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 darkness. The soul is required to pass though a series of 'gates' at different stages in the journey. Each gate is associated with a different deity, and requires that the deceased recognise the particular character of that deity. The text implies that some peoples will pass through unharmed, but that others will suffer torment in a lake of fire.
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.
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