The Netherworld in Ancient Egypt and China

Considering the striking similarities between the treatment of the dead and conceptions of the netherworld in ancient Egypt and China, how can we compare the two traditions? Mu-chou Poo considers this question, and provides a new perspective on archaeological materials, including tomb structures and funerary texts, by addressing them in the context of universal human problems such as death, the future of the dead, and the search for happiness in life.Poo chronologically reconstructs the emergence of the idea of the netherworld and its evolution in both ancient Egypt and ancient China. He explores the relationship between religious beliefs and social ethics in these civilizations, considers why similar social and material conditions could have produced varied expressions of the afterlife, and what such variations reveal about each culture.Poo argues that a comparison between both visions of the netherworld and their relationship to life experience gives further insight into the nature of each civilization. Through this analysis, Poo shows that thematic comparison of ancient civilizations is not only possible, but also relevant to modern society.>

Préface
A comparative study of the netherworld in ancient Egypt and China that considers the afterlife as a source of happiness.

Auteur
Mu-chou Poo is Research Professor of History, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Contenu
List of Illustrations Preface Introduction 1. The Evolution of Burial Style and the Imagination of the Netherworld 2. Iconographic Representations of the Netherworld 3. Textual Representations of the Netherworld 4. Belief, Ethics, and the Life Hereafter 5. Hope, Fear, and the Quest for Happiness Conclusion Bibliography Index