| Dreams are series of images, ideas, and sensations that occur involuntarily inthe mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams have beena subject of philosophical and religious interest, as well as a topic of scientificspeculation, throughout recorded human history. The earliest records of dreams wereacquired from some clay tablets in Mesopotamia. In other ancient civilizations likeGreece, Rome, and China, people believed that dreams were direct messages from thegods or the dead, predicted the future of certain person. Ancient Egyptian culture alsoappreciated dream as a mysterious phenomenon deserving high attention. AmongAncient Egyptian texts, such as royal inscriptions, private autobiography, religiontexts, didactic literature, prose tales, songs and hymns, there were number of chaptersthat related to dreams. And this may reflect that the perception of dreams in ancienttime was no less complex that their perception today and their roles were rich anddiverse. Meanwhile, because of its unique features, dream had often been thought tocontain hidden meanings or messages that need to be interpreted in order to beunderstood properly. The Dream Book from the Ramesside Period, which wascontained on Papyrus Cherster Beatty Ⅲ,was the earliest copy of Ancient Egyptiandream interpretation manual. This text recorded more than two hundred “good” and“bad” dreams with their interpretations. Due to the missing of certain comparativedocuments, the actual principles of ancient oneirology would never be known. But therelationships between these images and their meanings in the Ramesside Dream Bookwere likely based on word play, as well as the myth or tale of Ancient Egypt andcultural values of the time. The content of the dreams thus echoed to a certainanxieties, wishes, values and realities of Egyptian society. Therefore, closer studyingof this papyrus may provide us many details of the thoughts and concerns of commonpeople of Ancient Egypt. |
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