Book of the Dead: spell 72

Spell 72 is one of several spells which are ‘for going out in the day’. The small picture, which accompanies the spell, shows Ramose walking away from his tomb. The white colour of the tomb structure represents the limestone cliffs into which tombs were often cut. The pink colour, with red stippling, indicates the sands of the desert. A small pyramid is shown over the top of the tomb, and there is growing evidence that tombs of this period (the Ramesside Period) often had a small pyramid-shaped superstructure.

One of the principal themes of the Book of the Dead was the concept of going out in the day. This was an important way in which the person named in the Book was able to continue to exist in the afterlife.

Translation of spell 72

Notes on Translation  
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Passport to the Egyptian Afterlife
The Book of the Dead of Ramose