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Burial practices in ancient Egypt
Burial practices in ancient Egypt
The role of mummification in ancient Egypt
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The earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the desert. However, over many centuries, the ancient Egyptians developed a new method of preserving these bodies so they would remain lifelike. The process includes embalming the bodies and wrapping them in strips of linen. This process is now called mummification. Throughout this technique, the body is covered and filled with different substances that help preserve the body and body parts from decomposing. There are many theories concerning the matters found with the mummified bodies and the reasons behind their presence. Although Sandison and Amaros & Vozenin-Serra share and explain the importance of the substances present in mummification, they use two different materials, studied and analyzed, to clarify the cognition behind their use. While Sandison describes the theory by Herodotus, which states that natron was the substance used; Amaros & Vozenin-Serra explain this theory and show evidence of the use of cedar sawdust for embalming by ancient Egyptians.
Quick summaries of the articles
The article “The Use of Natron in Mummification in Ancient Egypt” by A.T.Sandison starts by explaining that there still exists confusion and uncertainty with regard of the basic technique of mummification. The author also describes the theory stated by the ancient Greek historian; Herodotus. Sandison’s detailed description of the process of mummification is repeated many times throughout his article due to the fact that there are many different experimental observations about this ancient technique.
The article “New Evidence for the use of Cedar Sawdust for Embalming by Ancient Egyptians” by Victoria Asensi Amaros and Colette Vozenin-Serra, explains how a team of scientists u...
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...dure of mummification in ancient Egypt. Sandison explains why mummification was so important in the Egyptian culture. He also describes that natron was a very important substance used to preserve the body, and provides different recent experiments to prove that. While, Amaros & Vozenin-Serra supply many scientific facts, found by different anthropologists and historians, which state how cedar sawdust is one of the main materials used to mummify a body in ancient Egypt.
Works Cited
Sandison, A.T. “The Use of Natron in Mummification in Ancient Egypt”. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Oct., 1963), pp. 259-267. JSTOR. Web. 1 May 2014
Amaros, Victoria Asensi & Vozenin-Serra, Colette. “New Evidence for the use of Cedar Sawdust for Embalming by Ancient Egyptians”. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 84 (1998), pp. 228-231. JSTOR. Web. 1 May 2014
Interestingly, X-rays reveal that the mummy case of Paankhenamun does in fact contain a mummy inside dating back to the years of c. 945 – 715 B.C. The practice of mummification was the Egyptian people’s way of preserving the spirits of the Gods/Goddesses and royalty. The idea was that when these beings came back to life, they would be preserved and well prepared for their next lives. By the time of the New Kingdom, the Egyptians already had developed techniques of mummification, which were done under a priest’s supervision (Stokstad 114), and since Paankhenamun was the priest of Amun, he was most likely was in charge of these procedures.
Perhaps the most notorious of burial practices originating in Egypt is that of mummification. Why such an extraordinary attempt was made to preserve cadavers may seem
The history and tradition of Egypt is one of the most greatly studied and admired of all past world civilizations. The lure of the pyramids and the specter of the sphinx have led many archeologists to dedicate his/her life to unraveling the mysteries of ancient Egyptian culture. Arguably, the most captivating aspect of Egypt’s past is that of mummification. Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead? What beliefs did the Egyptians have regarding the after life? What portion of the Egyptian civilization was mummified? What was the Book of the Dead? This is a mere sampling of the questions that come to my mind when I think of ancient Egyptian culture. I hope to lay forth answers to these questions and many more in the following pages dedicated to the history and purpose behind Egyptian mummification.
Upon completion of this procedure, the body will now be ready for burial. Egyptians used other methods of embalming. One method attributed to the lower class was to bury the body in the desert sand for a lengthy period of time. Then the sand was sunk. The result of this method dried the skin of the body into a leathery shell.
person has led a good life, he would let them go to the afterlife. The
Modern day embalming may have started in the United States, but a different form was used in ancient times across the world. The most famous example of preserving
W. Raymond Johnson, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, (1996), pp. 65-82, Date viewed 19th may, http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3822115.pdf?&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true
Ancient Egyptians were very religious people with various beliefs and gods. Ancient Egypt consisted of the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. Not only is Ancient Egypt known for their outstanding architecture in pyramids, but also, their astonishing understanding of the human body. Mummification began around c.3500 BCE and by the Old Kingdom it had become a standard practice. Everything Egyptians did, including mummification had to do with their religious beliefs. They followed rituals to please the gods and therefore received something in exchange. Moreover, they believed that mummifying a body was preparing a person for their afterlife. The process of mummification changed depending on the person’s socioeconomic status.
were 10 doors and at end there was a statue of Osiris, the god of the
The Egyptians during this period took ample time and detail on the mummification process to ensure a successful transition from the netherworld to rebirth. The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, 1025-980 B.C., it’s a depiction of how the Egyptians valued and honored their elite members of society, as well as their gods. The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, itself dates back to the III intermediate period in Egyptian culture. The Egyptian believe was to join Osiris, whom was believed to have ascended to Netherworld and accomplished eternal life.
In the present time, Ancient Egypt is one of the most notable early civilizations that took care in preserving the bodies of their dead (Wikipedia.com). However, preservation of the deceased’s body advanced during the Age of
Ancient Egyptian burial rituals and customs have evolved over time as source C depicts. Source C is relief illustrating the evol...
It is clear that tombs and burial rituals were a key element in the Egyptian society and their way of life as it ties into almost all things they did on a daily basis. Whatever a person’s status was when they were alive followed them into the afterlife. Food and luxury goods were buried with a person so that they could have it in the afterlife. The tombs became a person’s new house after they died. Therefore, making it as nice as possible was really important. Art work and clay models were added to a person’s tomb as material goods needed for the afterlife. They were also seen as decorations that kept the tombs looking nice. Throughout the years, Egyptian artworks on the inner parts of the tombs and on the coffins show a development in the Egyptian customs. Each new development was created to better preserve the bodies and comfort of the dead.
... learning about ancient medical practices in Egypt, therefore I have decided to continue research and expand my paper into a twenty page research paper for my final research paper at the end of the semester. In my next portion of my ten page paper I will explore the other topics stated in my thesis. My final paper will merely be a continuation of the topics that I have written about in this paper. I will explore and go into depth with the topics of human embalmment and its significance to the work of modern medicine today. I would also like to compare modern day embalmment for funerals with embalmment rituals used in Ancient Egypt. Another primary focus for the next installment of this paper will be a detailed argument of why it would be a wonderful and scientifically beneficial idea to fund and continue research of medical practices in Ancient Egypt.
Thus, the art and architecture of Ancient Egypt stemmed directly from their religion. Egyptian theology, with its deified pharaohs and strange animal-headed gods, was complicated, but the most important belief was that survival after death depended upon the preservation of the body. This belief would influence the architectural design of the tomb, where the corpse was ultimately sealed (Silverman:142, 1997). Immortality was only for privileged royal and priestly beings (Stierlin:54, 1983).This implies that their tombs would be somewhat prestigious and not just and ordinary burial site. At the day of resurrection the Ka or soul would re-enter the dead body; this meant that it must be there, intact, ready for that moment. It followed logically, that 'once the corpse was embalmed or mummified, it must be preserved in an impregnable tomb.