Journey Through the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead

Where do we go once we shuffle off this mortal coil? Few civilisations have taken as serious an interest in that question as the Ancient Egyptians, who compiled scrolls to guide the recently deceased through the afterlife. Known as the Book of the Dead, these papyri were once mistakenly regarded as an Egyptian answer to the Bible, but were in fact part guidebook, part talisman, collecting spells that would help ensure people a safe passage to eternal life. London's British Museum scored a major hit when it put its extensive collection of Book of the Dead papyri on show in late 2010, including the 37m-long Greenfield Papyrus, which had never been displayed in its entirety before. Now the exhibition is making its way to Tokyo, where its deathly chill might help take the edge off the summer heat.