Life and death are never far apart in Egyptian culture and society, and Bridget McDermott's book looks beyond funerary rites and mummification to explore the beliefs and customs of ordinary people. The book looks at how death occurred - through illness, accidents and violent death, as well as in the natural course. We discover the function of the house of eternity and the way in which it served and sustained the spirit. The process of grief and mourning is also presented, with the attempts to keep the memory of the loved one alive through ritual sacrifice. The author looks at funerary festivals, such as the 'celebration of the beautiful dead' and uncovers the role of ancestor cults in securing the continuity not just of royal lines but of all families.