Identification

• The Book of the Dead is a collection of 12 books. Each one describes passage rights, spells and charms to help ease the passage into death and, presumably, the afterlife.
  
  

Origin

• The texts found in these 12 books were originally scribed on the inside of the deceased's sarcophagus. Pictures often accompanied the writings. Later, the text was written on sheets of papyrus and buried inside the sarcophagus.
  
  

Individualization

• Original texts of the Book of the Dead were customized for the deceased individual. This means that no two texts are exactly the same.
  
  

Other Texts

• Several other ancient pieces of Egyptian literature are contained within the Book of the Dead. This includes the Coffin Texts and the Pyramid Texts.
  
  

Versions

• Modern versions of the Book of the Dead are typically separated into four divisions--the Heliopolitan, Theban, Saite and the fourth, which is a version similar to the Theban but without any defined chapters.