Ancient Egyptian underworld is a red tape nightmare

Ancient Egypt’s underworld is a red tape nightmare: Looking at the Egyptian Book of the Dead — the guidebook to the soul — one really gets the impression that the underworld of the Ancient Egyptians was a bureaucratic nightmare of Mogamma El Tahrir proportions. The sheer number of tests and hurdles the soul might go through, not to mention the over 50 gods that must stamp a soul’s passport at every turn, makes it seem obvious why the ancients invested so much into their tombs and monuments. There’s even bribery involved. This quirky, but informative video by TED (watch, runtime: 4:31) gives you the cliffnotes to the soul’s journey. Don’t leave this realm without it.