CULTURAL BELIEFS

EGYPTIAN BELIEFS

• The Egyptians believed in the after-life.
• They thought that once they had died, they would travel to another world and lead a new life.
• Once they made it to the after-life, their ka(double body, a mixture of an Animal and human body) and ba(personality) were judged by 42 gods.
• Their heart was weighed on a balancing scale along with the feather of truth and justice taken from the headdress of the goddess Ma'at.If it didn't balance the feather perfectly Amemet devoured it and Seth ate the rest of the body(2 of the 42 gods). If the heart however did balance, they would be granted immorality.

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MUMMIFICATION

• The Egyptians believed that mummification was the only way to make it to the afterlife through preserving their bodies.
• First the body was purified and washed.
• Then all the internal organs are removed, except for the heart. Once they are removed the organs are placed into special containers called Canopic jars. Some jars had jackal, baboon,falcon and human heads. Each used to hold a specific organ. These jars were later buried with the mummy, so that their owner could use them in his after-life.
• Next the body is filled with stuffing to keep its shape.
• After that the body was dried out, by putting "natron" inside of the body (a salt like substance that drew out moisture)
• In about 40-50 days they remove the "natron" and they replace the old stuffing with new stuffing that is made or sawdust or linen.
• Then they shroud the body, head to toe.
• The mummy was placed in a stone or wooden container called a "sarcophagus".
• From the begging to the end, mummification took about 70 days to complete.

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EGYPTIAN BURIAL ITEMS

• Many Egyptians were buried with items that they would use in their after-life.
• Such as: Amulets( to protect the mummy after death). Shabtis(a small figure that would come alive to assist their owner in his after-life.
• The wealthy would be buried with items such as food, furniture, jewelry, pottery, magical figurines(to protect them from harm) and gold. Even pets and servants were sometimes executed to comfort their master in their after-life.
• Some Egyptologists even discovered gold and silver boats( for the death journey), thrones decorated with gold, silver and gems, gold coffins and gold chariots in tombs. Some rulers even had more than 2,000 treasures buried with them.

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EGYPTIAN RITUALS/BURIALS

• The Egyptians had a few rituals that were done to the dead's body. They believed these were necessary to achieve immortality.
• One of these practices included the opening of the mouth ceremony. A priest would utter a spell and touch the mummy with a ceremonial adze ( a copper or stone blade). They believed that this would ensure that the could mummy could breath and speak in it's after-life. The priest might also utter spells to ensure movement and function of the arms, legs, and other parts of the body.
• Then the mummy is taken to the mortuary temple, where prayers are recited, incense is burned and more rituals are done to prepare the mummy for its death journey.
• If one was of very poor wealth they would be buried in mass graves, with few objects buried with them. Graves such as these can be found throughout the desert.
• For the average person in Egypt their burial ceremony would consist of there family wrapping them in cloth and they would be buried with everyday objects for their after-life, rather then expensive treasures.
• Those of great wealth, and a high importance towards the Egyptian society such as Pharaohs and Kings would be buried inside or pyramids. These pyramids were sealed so that no one could enter the tomb. However, after the funeral the king is believed to have become god and many people could worship them in temples beside his pyramid.

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EGYPTIAN COFFINS

• Coffins are another important aspect of Egyptian burial.
• Mummified bodies are placed in the coffins to help protect and preserve the body.
• The text and pictures on coffins provided their owner with the magical assistance and knowledge needed to survive in the after-life.
• There were two main coffin themes, one concerning the sun god. Egyptians hoped that after death they might ascend to the sky and accompany him on his journey by day and through the underworld by night.
• The other had elements from the myth of Osiris.
• The Egyptians believed that the god had been murdered by his brother Seth. Osiris was restored to life by his wife Isis, with the help of her sister Nepthys and he became the king of the underworld. They hoped that they would achieve a second life, just as he did by linking themselves to Osiris.
• Coffins were brightly painted and the decorations were mostly used to represent ones status. A band on the coffin contained symbols of rebirth and of gods and goddesses. On the bottom of the interior side of the coffin was painted with a figure of a goddess, and the lid showed a picture of a face. On the top of the coffin sat a jackal(a type of mammal similar to a wolf or dog), most like that of Anubis.

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