| abstract | - The Book of Caverns is an important Ancient Egyptian funerary text of the New Kingdom. Like many funerary texts, it was written on the inside of tombs for reference by the deceased. It describes the journey of the sun god Ra through the six caverns of the underworld, focusing on rewards and punishments in the afterlife. The earliest appearance of this work is in the left hand wall of the Osireion in Abydos. It first appears in the Valley of the Kings, in the tomb of Ramesses IV, in place of Amduat, where it was recorded by Jean Francois Champollion in his letters from Egypt. The book has no ancient title, and is not divided into hours of the night as other Ancient Egyptian funerary texts are. The Book of Caverns originated in the Ramessid Period. The book speaks of the deceased who fail their judgment in the afterlife, and also the rewards of those who pass the judgments. The Book of Caverns is one of the best sources of information about the Egyptian concept of Hell. The Book of Caverns is divided into two halves of six sections, each half is divided into three other parts. The first half explains how the sun god Ra invokes beings and groups of gods. The other half is a descriptive text of the earlier books. The Book of Caverns is much more literary that other funerary books from the New Kingdom, such as The Book of Gates. The Book of Caverns does not have as many pictures as the other books, but instead it is much more descriptive and lengthy. The book describes the journey and tasks Re must go through to eventually end up in the Light. Ra must take souls through the afterlife journey through many caverns guarded by gods and goddesses. Each cavern has its own task and if the soul does not pass then it is sent to nonexistence. If a soul is condemned to nonexistence it is beheaded and its heart is ripped out of its chest.
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