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Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Jan Assmann (Author), David Lorton (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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"Human beings," the acclaimed Egyptologist Jan Assmann writes, "are the animals that have to live with the knowledge of their death, and culture is the world they create so they can live with that knowledge." In his new book, Assmann explores images of death and of death rites in ancient Egypt to provide startling new insights into the particular character of the civilization as a whole. Drawing on the unfamiliar genre of the death liturgy, he arrives at a remarkably comprehensive view of the religion of death in ancient Egypt. Assmann describes in detail nine different images of death: death as the body being torn apart, as social isolation, the notion of the court of the dead, the dead body, the mummy, the soul and ancestral spirit of the dead, death as separation and transition, as homecoming, and as secret. Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt also includes a fascinating discussion of rites that reflect beliefs about death through language and ritual.
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Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-0801442414
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Cornell University Press
  5. Publication date
    November 11, 2011
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    2165 KB
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt serves as a compendious introduction to how ancient Egyptians approached their mortality as well as their impending immortality. Throughout, Assmann continues to build upon his vast store of important publications, yet again bringing to his work a deep background in theoretical literature, especially anthropology and philosophy. This gives his work a decidedly comparative flair, citing parallels or contrasts with cultures ancient or modern, Near Eastern or otherwise. Much of Assmann's Egyptological work has become required reading, and Death and Salvation will be no exception. Controversial, insightful, incredibly informed, and in constant contact with the primary textual material, this volume will continue to inspire discussion for years to come.

― Journal of Near Eastern Studies

Assmann astounds the reader with his deep knowledge of religious texts from all periods of Egyptian civilization and from the Greeks and Romans too. He is equally familiar with evidence from art and architecture.... He leads the reader through the maddeningly opaque pronouncements of Egyptian intellectuals about the nature of death, its origin, its meaning, its importance. Every page shines a fresh light on a topic that fascinates us all, but leaves us puzzled. Assmann's book will take its place as classic study and shows again why he is justly regarded as one of the great Egyptologists writing today.

― Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Review

This very important book represents the fruit of many years of reading, thinking, and writing about the Egyptian conceptions of death and the afterlife, and constitutes a comprehensive analysis of the subject. It is a complex, multilayered interpretation that reveals the great depth and breadth of Jan Assmann's knowledge. He systematically investigates the processes of and reactions to the experience of death, the reconstitution of the body/person of the deceased, and rites and texts that relate to the afterlife.

-- Gerald Kadish, Binghamton University

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0066AFZU8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cornell University Press; 1st edition (November 11, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 11, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2165 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 504 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

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Jan Assmann

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
18 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

LR
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good!
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2016
Verified Purchase
Another quality book by Mr. Assmann. Everything I've read by this author is well worth it. Those without a lot of background in Egyptology will find it accessible, and those with familiarity will learn aspects they did not consider or were unaware of. Well researched and well written.
2 people found this helpful
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MR S BULL
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
Transformative. A powerful book.
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DAJ
5.0 out of 5 stars The best available overview of afterlife beliefs
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2014
Tombs, funeral rites, and burial goods are the most familiar and best-understood aspect of ancient Egyptian culture, and plenty of books describe those subjects. Many more study the individual funerary texts where we get most of our information about Egyptian afterlife beliefs. But surprisingly few sources study the afterlife beliefs as a whole, in detail. This book fills that need, although, like most of Assmann's work, it is abstract and speculative and should be treated with some caution.

The book is long and not easy to read but very informative. It's organized thematically. The first part dedicates a chapter to every major perspective on death: "Death as Social Isolation", "Death as Enemy", et cetera, ending with the more positive aspects that emphasize the attainment of immortality. The second part treats the texts and rituals surrounding death, although the final chapters are more about summarizing everything that's gone earlier in the book.

Assmann doesn't much discuss how afterlife beliefs evolved over the course of Egyptian history, so Death and Salvation should ideally be read alongside  Following Osiris  by Mark Smith, which addresses exactly those changes. Smith also objects to some of Assmann's basic claims, like the idea that reaching the afterlife entailed becoming one with Osiris. Perhaps even more importantly, Assmann still assumes that commoners were not believed to enter the afterlife until the end of the Old Kingdom. That assumption came under serious assault in the late 2000s, with Smith leading the charge, and may soon be abandoned entirely. Nevertheless, this book is a dense but vivid examination of the Egyptians' perspectives on the afterlife and the only one to show how they all related to each other.
6 people found this helpful
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Timothy J. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opener
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2008
Verified Purchase
I have been reading a great deal about the Osiris myth; this, together with Tom Hare's book "Re-Membering Osiris" are truly valuable additions to anyone's Egyptology collection. Mr. Assman is a well-established author, and lays on the footnotes with scholarly frequency. His books are dense and a bit dry, but his viewpoint is clearly stated and provocative. I do not agree with his atheism, and find it a bit odd in a man who spends so much time writing about Gods and religion, but I will say that he is stunningly observant and objective in his recounting of the pure source material available to us today. Because his own perspective is clear and unapologetic, it is easy to examine his thoughts and observations from another perspective. Few writers so consistently provoke creative thought in the reader while informing and educating at the same time. Of the books he's written (and that I've read) this book is second only to "The Mind of Ancient Egypt" . Buy both! read them!!
17 people found this helpful
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This Universe
5.0 out of 5 stars Master Work
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2018
The single best and most informative book I have read on Ancient Egypt. I have never seen so much of the Ancient Egyptian literature so amazingly brought together and elucidated in such a consistent and compelling manner. All backed up with an incredible amount of methodical research. The interpretations that I do not agree with seem minor by comparison to the overall quality. You come away again and again and again feeling as if you are understanding things for the first time! Highly recommended!
One person found this helpful
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Donald E. Whetzel
5.0 out of 5 stars Death & Salvation In Ancient Egypt
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2015
This book is full of exceptional insights that set well with what I (a non-expert) know of ancient Egypt. Assmann groups concepts in unusual, but very plausible, ways. I was most struck by the originality and depth of exposition of his concept of the relationship between father & son following the death of the former. Also, his elucidation of eternity is well worth reading. A long book, it is one to be read carefully. It is a gem for those who wish to consider the traditional concepts of ancient Egypt in a new light.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

P. A. Polocko
5.0 out of 5 stars a must for the Ancient Egyptian enthusiast
Reviewed in Canada on January 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful book and should be a must in a collection for those interested in Ancient Egypt.
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