viated texts came into use, and the Book of the Dead ended its
existence in the form of a series of almost illegible scrawls traced
upon scraps of papyrus only a few inches square.

Rolls of papyrus containing the Book of the Dead were placed: (1) In a
niche in the wall of the mummy chamber; (2) in the coffin by the side of
the deceased, or laid between the thighs or just above the ankles; (3)
in hollow wooden figures of the god Osiris, or Ptah-Seker-Osiris, or in
the hollow pedestals on which such figures stood.

The Egyptians believed that the souls of the dead on leaving this world
had to traverse a vast and difficult region called the Tuat, which was
inhabited by gods, devils, fiends, demons, good spirits, bad spirits,
and the souls of the wicked, to say nothing of snakes, serpents, savage
animals, and monsters, before they could reach the Elysian Fields, and
appear in the presence of Osiris. The Tuat was like the African "bush,"
and had no roads through it. In primitive times the Egyptians thought
that only those souls that were provided with spells, incantations,
prayers, charms, words of power, and amulets could ever hope to reach
the Kingdom of Osiris. The spells and incantations were needed for the
bewitchment of hostile beings of every kind; the prayers, charms, and
words of power were necessary for making other kinds of beings that
possessed great powers to help the soul on its journey, and to deliver
it from foes; and the amulets gave the soul that was equipped with them
strength, power, will, and knowledge to employ successfully every means
of assistance that presented itself.

The OBJECT OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD was to provide the dead man with all
these spells, prayers, amulets, &c., and to enable him to overcome all
the dangers and difficulties of the Tuat, and to reach Sekhet Aaru and
Sekhet Hetep (the Elysian Fields), and to take his place among the
subjects of Osiris in the Land of Everlasting Life. As time went on the
beliefs of the Egyptians changed considerably about many important
matters, but they never attempted to alter the Chapters of the Book of
the Dead so as to bring them, if we may use the expression, "up to
date." The religion of the eighteenth dynasty was far higher in its
spiritual character generally than that of the twelfth dynasty, but the
Chapters that were used under the twelfth dynasty were used under the
eighteenth, and even under the twenty-sixth dynasty. In religion the
Egypti