The ornaments in New Kingdom tombs were precious, and the Egyptologist originally believed that the paintings were Egyptian dreams and fantasies. But once the Amduat (book about the underworld) was found, the real meaning of the Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings was discovered.
During the 18th Dynasty the walls of the burial chamber, the columns, the anteroom and the well point were decorated. But in the 19th and 20th dynasties the entire tomb was decorated.
The painting procedure even changed from a simple painting to a relief painting and then to a sunken relief painting.
The Amduat clarified the night journey that the sun god Ra took to the underworld in his boat. It was very important for the dead pharaoh to participate in this quest, to become one with Ra and live forever.
At this time, it was believed that only the pharaohs could pass into the afterlife. Typical Egyptians did not have that privilege.
Tomb designs typically illustrated the pharaoh’s journey with Ra. Hieroglyphs and images directly from the Amduat were decorated on the walls of the tombs of the kings.
The Amduat helped explain tomb ornaments by explaining the search for the sun god with the dead king. Specific phases of the twelve hour night journey were painted around the pharaoh’s tomb.
Every hour, Ra and the spirit of the dead king encountered some kind of friend or opposing forces. The main purpose of the quest was to provide the names of particular gods and forces opposed to the dead pharaoh, so that he could use them as an aid or invoke their name to defeat them.
The first hour of the search, the god of sunlight travels west. At hours 2 and 3, the sun god would pass through a water balloon called Waters of Osiris.
In the fourth hour, Ra would arrive in Sokar, the sandy realm of the falcon god of the underworld. During the fifth hour, Ra could reach the tomb of Osiris, which was hidden under a lake of fire and covered by a pyramidal mound, where Isis and Nephthys stood guard.
During the sixth hour, the ba of Ra united with the ba (soul) of Osiris. During this hour, the sun god began to grow.
In the seventh hour, Apep, the enemy of the gods, lurked on a sandbar in the form of a gigantic serpent. The snake would draw the water from the underworld lake out of the boat to prevent it from continuing its journey.
The ancient Egyptians believed that if the cycle of sunlight ever stopped, it would be the end of the world. Thus, Apep is defeated by Ra (some variations point to Isis and Seth’s help in this fight) and his body is depicted in the royal tombs as being hacked into pieces.
In the eighth hour, Ra opened the doors of the tomb and left Sokar. Then he quickly paddled back into the water for the ninth hour.
At the tenth hour, the regrowth process continued with Ra plunging into the waters until the eleventh hour. Then, Ra’s eyes fully regenerated (an indication of well-being). At the twelfth hour, Ra would rise in the east to prepare for the sun of the new day.
During the 18th dynasty the decorations on the tombs were altered. King Horemheb’s tomb showed that an additional book from the underworld, the Book of Gates, was used.
Like the Amduat, it showed the nocturnal search for the Ra in the solar boat. The difference was that the hours were not represented. Instead, a picture was painted of all the different doors the king had to pass through.
And at each gate, Ra and the dead king would meet a particular god or goddess.
The Book of Gates was intended for everyone, not just royalty. Prospects that the ancient Egyptians were soulless had been altered and they now believed they were entitled to an afterlife.
In the 20th Dynasty, the Book of Caves replaced the Amduat in tomb decorations. The Book of Caverns did not break down the twelve hours of Ra’s journey, alternatively, it was much more complete about the afterlife and his idea of hell.