lel world to this one. The deceased ascended to the heavens, to ride in the sun god RaÆs celestial boat, and became a celestial body himself. According to the Pyramid Texts, writings inscribed in the Fifth Dynasty pyramid of Unas, ôIt was the kingÆs destiny to ægo forth to the sky among the Imperishable onesÆ and to ægo around the sky like the sun.Æö
Though they were ôrebornö in every way into the celestial world û not only spiritually but corporeally as well - pharaohs did not reappear on this earth in bodily form, nor did they actually eat the food that was left for them in their temples. The food offerings provided spiritual sustenance in the parallel existence to which the pharaohs had passed.
In their new, parallel existence, the deceased were nonetheless able to effect changes in this world of the living. Close relatives often requested assistance and advice from the dead, in the form of letters and notes. These were typically written on clay offering-jars, cloth, or other objects, and placed in the tombs, and many asked for such mundane favor
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