While some may think that Egyptians focused too much on death as they prepared their burials early on in life, in actuality, Egyptians loved life so much that they wanted to have an amazing afterlife prepared for them when the time came. In order to do this, Egyptians believed they had to be mummified. The mummification process is a long, extensive process; however, the spiritual aspect can be thought of as the most significant element.
The history and process of mummification are both quite extensive. Mummification can be defined as “the process that preserves a dead body by treating it with oils and wrapping it in strips of cloth” (Mummify). Mummification first came about during the Old Kingdom period, which was from approximately 2750-2250
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Usually, only high officials or Pharaohs were mummified due to how expensive the process was. However, in some situations, servants were also sacrificed and mummified when a Pharaoh died so that they would have servants in the afterlife. In addition to this, some lower-class Egyptians were also mummified once it became centralized over the years. The purpose of mummification was to prepare the body and spirit for life after death. Egyptians believed that in order for the spirit to live on, the body must stay intact to look as life-like as possible so that the soul could return to it and have a suitable environment. To do this, they needed to preserve the body, which took approximately 70 days. During this time period, the first thing the embalmers would do is remove all but one organ - the heart. They removed most of the organs in order to prevent decay, but left the heart because they believed it was the "center of a person's being and intelligence" (Encyclopedia). Once most of the organs were removed, the embalmers would place the organs in canopic jars. Canopic jars were believed to “protect” the organs for life after death. Each organ was …show more content…
Once the mummy was completely finished, embalmers and priest would place the body into a coffin. Usually, the coffin depicted the life of the deceased. A mural of the deceased would be painted on the head of the coffin or a pharaoh-like face would be molded and painted. Symbols and writings on the coffin itself signified the life of the mummy and acted as identification. Through these symbols and writings, scientists today have been able to discover the name and life of many mummies. Once the mummy was placed into a series of coffins, the mummy was then placed into a tomb. Typically, a mummy’s tomb had been furnished with necessities throughout the Egyptian’s life. Tombs were typically adorned with furniture, statuettes, religious paintings, lists of food, prayers, and jewelry. The purpose of this was because Egyptians believed these things manifested as actual items needed once the Egyptian entered the afterlife. Once the compilation of items in the tomb was completed, the priest would then preform ceremonial rites. The “opening of the mouth” ritual, often to be regarded as the most important, is preformed by the priest. In this ritual, the priest holds a special instrument and touched various body parts of the mummy in order to “open those parts of the body to the senses enjoyed in life and needed in the afterlife” (Encyclopedia). The tomb
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.
Ancient Egyptian culture was largely focused on the afterlife. One of their most important deities, Osiris, became the ruler of the Underworld through death. The pharaoh and elite class prepared for their impending deaths throughout their lives. Much of what survives from ancient Egypt today was found in tombs and temples of the dead. When one of the elite died, the process of laying him or her to rest was extensive. Harold Hays explains that “the ritualized process of embalming and mummification is usually stated as lasting seventy days” (Hays 5). "Funeral Procession, Tomb of Pairy" shows two of the processes that Hays details. The first depicted is the procession to the tomb. Pairy’s body would have already been through several processions, mummification, and embalming. This particular procession’s goal is to lead not just the body, but also the spirit into the afterlife. People of both high and low classes attended this procession, carrying with them the tomb goods (Hays 6-7). The second depicted
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
Mummification is required in the kemetic religion because of the belief in the afterlife. They felt the need to preserve the body by mummifying the dead to keep the body in tact and the spirit safe until the afterlife. Kemites thought that after the person died, their spirit would return to the body come judgment day and the afterlife so the body had to be in great condition so they could use the body again.
The Egyptian Process of Mummification In ancient Egyptian society, preserving a body after death was an important process necessary for entrance into an immortal existence. According to Egyptian belief, the soul did not die. The soul would take the form of a bird, usually a falcon, and fly around in the world of the living returning later its dead body. The importance of preserving the body revolved around the idea that the roaming soul would be able to recognize the right body and return to it.
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
were 10 doors and at end there was a statue of Osiris, the god of the
...nt through the women. The power to rule was passed from wife to husband. Kha-merer-nebty II is shown here presenting her husband, Mycerinus, as the pharaoh. Unlike the sculpture of Augustus, this sculpture also has a religious purpose. The Egyptians believed that in order for the “ka” (spirit) to live forever, the body had to be preserved which is why they mummified their bodies. As an extra precaution, sculptures like these were made to serve as a “replacement body” for the ka should something happen to their body.
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
The most common ancient Egyptian burial practice is the mummification process as depicted in source B. Mummification is a ritual that embalmers performed when a pharaoh died. Source B is a photograph of the canoptic jars which are a main component of the mummification process. The first step in the mummification process is the removal and preservation of most of the internal organs, such as the lungs, the stomach, the liver and intestines. These organs are then separately embalmed and placed into canoptic jars as source B reveals. These jars were often decorated with one of the four animal-headed sons of the god Horus. Each head is believed to be the protector of each organ within the jar and is dedicated to a specific deity. The preservation of the organs is significant as they allowed the dead person to breathe and eat in the afterlife. The internal organs were then wrapped and put into either the body or put in boxes instead of sitting in jars. Canoptic jars were still placed in the tomb but they were solid or empty and provided a symbolic purpose. In Tutankhamun’s tomb the canoptic jars were discovered in a shrine that was found in the treasury room of the tomb. Source B is useful is when understanding the mummification process.
The elements that will be focused on are the multiple functions of the tomb and rituals, specifically the mummification of bodies. Ancient Egyptian tombs had many functions; the main function being to hold the bodies of the dead. Tombs were typically built during a person’s lifetime and were ready by their time of death (Olson, 2009). Before bodies were put in the tombs, they underwent a process called mummification to help preserve the body and keep it intact. The tomb was also a place where family members could come and visit the deceased. In the early years, tomb structures were very simple; they consisted only of one chamber (Grajetzki, 2003: 3-4). Later on, façade tombs were built— which consisted of two parts; an “underground chamber for the dead and the superstructure built above the ground, over the shaft and the burial chamber” (Grajetzki, 2003: 8). Next, the Egyptian tombs and ...
A mummy is “a body embalmed or treated for burial with preservatives in the manner of the ancient Egyptians.” When thinking of a mummy the first place that comes to mind is Egypt. Egypt seems to be the place of most historical relevance on the subject of mummies, yet there have also been discoveries in China as well as South America. The purpose of preserving a person’s body was to ensure a safe passage into their afterlife. This may seem ridiculing to many now but it was practiced by ancient Egyptians daily.
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.
...e. They believed the physical body had to be preserved to allow a place for their spirit to dwell in the afterlife. Because of this, mummification was performed to preserve the body.