Ancient Egypt - Obsessed with life

What happens when we close our eyes for the very last time? The ancient Egyptians provide a fascinating answer to human life’s most enigmatic question.

Over three millennia the rich river civilisation along the banks of the Nile develops funerary customs which enable the Egyptians to find their way to eternal life, where everyone who lives and dies is reborn. It all begins in the embalming workshop, where the dead are transformed into mummies.

Chapter by chapter, the reader is initiated into how ancient Egyptians achieved immortality. A lost culture’s conception of death and its incredible burial customs are unfolded and explained, revealing a fantastic and compelling universe of myths and rituals. At first glance, it all appears alarmingly alien, but gradually it begins to make sense and speak to us across the many millennia.

Published in conjunction with Moesgaard Museum’s special exhibition Ancient Egypt – Obsessed with life, this book can also be read as an independent introduction to the Egyptians’ conceptions of the afterlife.With contributions by Tine Bagh, Paul John Frandsen, Ole Herslund, Rune Nyord, Rune Olsen, Maxime Rageot, Sofie Schiødt, Philipp Stockhammer and Jørgen Podemann Sørensen.