The Realms of the Dead — The Pyramid Texts — The Ascent to the Sky

Realms of the Dead—The Pyramid Texts—The Ascent to the Sky

(Period: 30th to 25th century B.C.)

The Pyramid Texts—The oldest chapter in the intellectual history of man—Earliest fragments before 3400 B.C.—Pyramid Texts represent a p. xxii period of a thousand years ending in 25th century B.C.—Their purpose to ensure the king felicity hereafter—Their reflection of the life of the age—Their dominant note protest against death—Content sixfold: (1) Funerary and mortuary ritual; (2) Magical charms; (3) Ancient ritual of worship; (4) Ancient religious hymns; (5) Fragments of old myths; (6) Prayers on behalf of the king—Haphazard arrangement—Literary form: parallelism of members—Occasional display of real literary quality—Method of employment—The sojourn of the dead in a distant place—The prominence of the east of the sky—The Stellar and Solar hereafter—The ascent to the sky.