The Egyptian Book of the Dead: A guidebook for the underworld - Tejal Gala
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Ancient Egyptians believed that in order to become immortal after death, a spirit must first pass through the underworld — a realm of vast caverns, lakes of fire, and magical gates. Needless to say, one needed to come prepared. But how? Tejal Gala describes an Egyptian "Book of the Dead" -- a customized magic scroll written by the living to promote a smooth passage to the afterlife when they died.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Tejal Gala
- Director Silvia Prietov
- Script Editor Alex Gendler
- Animator Silvia Prietov, Sebastian Cuervo, William Cifuentes, Cletus J. Pearson
- Producer Silvia Prietov
- Designer Silvia Prietov
- Art Director Silvia Prietov
- Storyboard Artist Silvia Prietov
- Illustrator Silvia Prietov
- Character Designer Silvia Prietov
- Editor Julian Andrés Sánchez
- Compositor Julian Andrés Sánchez
- Composer Manuel Borda
- Narrator Addison Anderson

by TED-Ed
In your opinion, what does the Ancient Egyptians’ concept of the afterlife –and the challenges along the way- reveal about the ancient society’s values?
Comments are closed on this discussion.
Kaeden Mathis
Lesson completed
It reveals that you should be a good person. You address people by their name respectively, and you must never lie or pollute nature.
Sutida Samathi
Lesson completed
By using amulets and charms to face with the tests of the gods even in their death is kinda cheating in my opinion 😂😂😂 but these revealed that people fears of what they don’t understand, in this case: death. It’s fun to think how hard ancient people seriously put their effort to build up this ‘underworld’ or ‘afterlife’ concepts to help them get through life until their last breath and to calm the fear of death. At the same time, with these expensive process of mummification and how people had to pay for their customized equipped-with-great-charm book of dead, also telling us that this concept in some cultures used by rich and powerful people to control those lower classes in the society, and to concrete their righteousness of power above those who were under their rule.
Tate Memmott
Lesson completed
In my opinion, they feel that you have to live a good life in order to be accepted into the after-life. So it makes them do things they think are right so when their heart gets weighed, it will be light and they can go on to have immortality.
Djoumana Khebbouz
Lesson completed
In my opinion, the ancient Egyptians' concept of the afterlife and the challenges along the way reveal that in ancient society's values, no matter if you die or you are alive, you need to face challenges either way. I think it is bad for people because if you work when you are alive and when you die, then it makes no sense to have a life , and it is not fair.
Victoria Velez
Lesson completed
I think the afterlife Is stupid because when you die you still have to work
Eddy Sebastián Brito López
Lesson completed
I think is curios because have an afterlife is weird
Yaretzi Ramirez
Lesson in progress
in my opinion what I think the Ancient Egyptians concept of the afterlife and challenges along the way is knowing that if you are bad you get eaten and you suffer the rest of your life and if your good then there's happienes but you have to grow crops. this reveals that the ancient egypt society values are just like right now and showing how smart they could be
Dakota Lee
Lesson completed
so they can do good things and not sin.
Jadiel Perez
Lesson completed
makes them do good deeds instead of sinning
Liam Auguste
Lesson completed
It makes them do good stuff instead of sins