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[German version] I. Mesopotamia Funerary literature (FL), intended to assist the deceased in accomplishing the journey and…

[German version] I. Mesopotamia Myths, Epics, Prayers and Rituals of the 2nd and 1st millennia BC, in the Sumerian and Akkadian languages, describe the location and nature of the Underworld, along with the circumstances under which its inhabitants live. This domain, located beneath the surface of the earth and surrounded by the primeval ocean called Apsȗ, is known in Akkadian as erṣetu (Sumerian: ki), a term that can refer both to the surface of the earth and to the Underworld. There are other terms for certain characteristics of this region. The Underworld contains gates and buildings, including the palace of Ereškigal ('mistress of the great place'), queen of the Underworld. Deities and spirits of the dead live there in a hierarchical society, and the spirits probably occupy the same social position as they did in their mortal lives. Although written sources offer a rel…

[German version] I. Ancient East and Egypt A range of archaeological and textual sources from varied walks of life bear eloquent testimony to the intensity of the attempts of coming to term with death in ancient eastern cultures ( Burial and mourning rituals and the related cult of the  dead), as displayed in forms of  funerary architecture, burial objects and the extensive  funerary literature. As is evident from textual sources, this struggle occupied a large part of everyday human existence [5]. On …

[German version] I. Mesopotamia The cult of the dead in Mesopotamia is documented in written as well as archaeological sources.…