The Egyptian Letters to the Dead
- Date of account
- Old Kingdom through New Kingdom, approximately third to second millennium BCE
- Location
- Egypt, especially tomb and domestic religious contexts
- Source
- model_recalled_reference
- Record updated
- 2026-10-10
Record summary
Egyptian Letters to the Dead are written appeals to deceased relatives or other dead persons, asking for help, justice, fertility, health, or relief from misfortune. They are not necessarily records of visible apparitions, but they document a practical model of continuing interaction between living people and the dead. Individual examples on bowls, linen, papyrus, and ostraca can support comparison with later apparition reports. Interpretation is complicated by formulaic language, uncertain provenance, damaged texts, and debate over whether these letters were deposited ritually or circulated privately.
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