Egyptian Afterlife Beliefs

They believed that the gods punished them with floods and or famine. Their pessimistic outlook on life made them have bad premonitions towards their afterlife. They believed that at death that they were going to descend forever into a dark underworld, a huge cave filled with nothing but dust and silence. They tried to enjoy life as much as they could but did not look forward to the afterlife. Death was not the paradise that the Egyptians believed in. It was considered eternal hell. (Hause, 2001, pg. 10)

Ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians had two different ideas of the afterlife. Ancient Egypt celebrated the afterlife, performing burial rituals such as mummification, and ceremonies to ensure a happy and easy transition into the underworld. Egyption gods did not have as much interference with humans unlike the Mesopotamian Gods. Egyption gods ruled as pharaohs other deities such as Osiris, god of the underworld. Mesopotamian afterlife beliefs were not as joyful as ancient Egyptians. The Mesopotamians afterlife had a gloomier outlook. Most of what we know about Mesopotamian afterlife comes from the epic of Gilgamesh.

The Egyptians also worried very much about the after life and made many preparations before the afterlife. There graves were very important to them, and they also did much to keep them from decaying after they passed. That is why they had the idea of mummification to allow them to not decay long after they passed. We also pay a lot of money to allow us to keep from decaying on our burials and the coffins.

Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece both believed in life after death, though the process in which they follow that belief differ greatly. The Greeks believed that at the moment of death the spirit leaves the body in the form of a little gust of wind or a puff of breath. The Greeks believed in proper burial rights that were performed in three parts, and the relatives mostly women are the ones that conduct these rituals for the deceased. Much like the modern world these rituals consist of the first step; laying out the body to be dressed, the second funeral procession, and the third step was the cremation of the body. Unlike the Greeks the Egyptians developed a process in which they prepared and preserved the dead for the afterlife, known as mummification. This process is believed to have been the purpose of the Egyptians famous pyramids, believed to be the stairs that would lead the Pharaohs to their kingdom in the afterlife. Artifacts are buried in their tombs such as gold, wine, and sculptures to accompany the dead in life after death.

Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion. Their belief in the rebirth after death became their driving force behind their funeral practices. Death was simply a temporary interruption, rather than an end to life, and that eternal life could be ensured by means of worship to the gods, preservation of the physical form thru mummification, substantial ceremonies and detailed burial policies and procedures. Even though many today have varying views of an afterlife, many of the funerary practices that originated in Egypt can be seen in present day funeral services.

Regardless of social strata, death and the afterlife were almost always valued by the living in ancient Egypt. The afterlife was birthed and designed for great societal rulers but eventually trickled down and was adopted by other levels of society (Murnane in Obayashi, 1992, p. 42). Death was interpreted as “new life in another state” by ancient Egypt, and the ultimate goal of immortality could be attained if specific burial arrangements were made for the dead. This was to avoid a final death of the soul known as the “second death,” and measures such as burial with food, drink, and personal possessions, were taken to aid the soul on its journey into immortality (Murnane in Obayashi, 1992, p. 36).

The tombs had two main functions. The first function was a place that provided an eternal resting place in which the body could lay protected from thieves and scavengers. The second function of the tomb was a place where cults and ritual acts could be performed to ensure eternal life (Taylor, 2001:136). The body of the person was buried along with their belongings in the tomb to ensure the individual had all the proper materials needed for the afterlife. The Egyptians usually did this because “Tombs were constructed to mirror aspects of the afterlife” (Olson, 2009). These tombs were not only a place where bodies of a deceased lay; it was also a place where rituals would take place. One ritual that was done on the bodies was the ‘Opening of the Mouth’. This was a burial ritual that “accompanied the placement of funerary goods in a tomb- and was a necessary step in the deceased’s rebirth” (Olson, 2009). One very important service that had to be done was the mummification process in which the removal of organs

Ancient Egyptians are ones who seem to be obsessed with the idea of the afterlife, so much so that they have seemingly endless rituals and preparations for a person who has passed. Their kings strive to keep order and peace throughout their kingdom so they can generate ma’ at for the gods. They do this so they can have a happy afterlife, but it seems that only few of the wealthy Egyptians can get their hands on the book of the dead for the afterlife. Ma’at can be seen as the very essence of Egypt, it sets the bar for social contract and how people with authority should righteously govern those lower on the hierarchical scale.

The Egyptians viewed the afterlife as a happy place filled with food and the gods. In contrast, the Mesopotamians viewed the afterlife as a place of horror and fear. The vital cause for the differences of viewpoints in the afterlife is the River they depended on. Both civilizations saw the afterlife as an extension of their current life. With this being said, the Nile was giving and gave them lots of water along with silt, which was crucial for the survival of their crops. In turn, the Egyptians perspective on the afterlife was gracious. Conversely, the Mesopotamians depended on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. While it did bless them with fresh water, on occasions, the river would grow violent and cause a catastrophic amount of damage to their homes and crops. Since they also viewed their afterlife as an extension to their current lives, they saw it as a dark and horrible place that wasn’t wanted. However, both civilizations accomplished achievements through religion and for other reasons.

The ancient Egyptians had specific views on the afterlife, which they showed in their art and architectural work. They are noted for their extensive beliefs regarding the soul of the dead that they would spend time and effort in constructing quality funerary objects. Funerary objects of which those who were alive would be conscious of, especially since the objects were involved in rituals the living would take part in. During the middle kingdom, Egyptians would do a pilgrimage to Abydos in upper Egypt to participate in a festival that honored Osiris, God of the underworld. Stelae would be displayed in chapels in the city that partook in the celebration of Osiris. (http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544320) Amongst those stelae was the Stela of the Steward Mentuwoser (figure 1), which depicted a funerary banquet to an honorary official during the second intermediate period of the twelve dynasty. Senusret I presented this painted limestone stela to Mentuwoser while he was alive in order to show his appreciation for his work, and to ensure him that the presence of his image during a festival would bring upon nourishment and rebirth of his ka, an individuals spiritual entity.

The Egyptians had gods that depicted the Sun or life and Night or death. The Sun god Re and the god Osiris portrayed the relationship between death and resurrection. Osiris plays a huge role in Egyptian funerary text because he is described as the “ruler of the realm of the dead”. Osiris rose to power as the king of the dead after being murdered by his brother Seth. Since he was the ruler of death, he was a model for how each person’s life was treated after his or her deaths. When the deceased transition to the afterlife, rituals were required for their journey to be successful. Osiris’ body was brutally

Egyptians viewed the afterlife in a very positive way - they believed if they lived by the standards of “Ma’at”, they would end up in the “Happy Field of Food” or “Field of Offerings” in the afterlife. “Ma’at”, simply put, composed of acting in ways that are truthful, harmonious, moral, balanced, and orderly. In simple terms, Egyptians believed that if they acted with morality, they would have a happy afterlife with no hunger or pain. Mesopotamians had a much darker view of life after death: they believed they would spend eternity in the “House of Dust” with other tortured souls. Mesopotamian gods were not moral or truthful - they cheated, lied, stole, etc., and Mesopotamians believed that humans were created simply because the gods grew tired of working. Mesopotamians worshipped their gods because they believed if they worshipped enough, they may receive blessings or justice, but this was not guaranteed.

The Egyptians also believed in the afterlife, which means they believed they live as they were on earth in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was one of the gods. They also believed in mummification, which was the preservation of the corps for burial. In Ancient times you were wrapped in animal skins and organs then buried. If you were a part of the royal family you were put in a tomb or burial chamber.

" If the heart passes the test, moving up on the scale, remaining lighter, rather than down, the soul has the ability to move on to the afterlife. If moving down on the scale, "the goddess Ammut, Devourer of the Dead" takes in the soul "destroying the soul forever." (Carnagie 37-67) The Ancient Egyptians relied on a text known as "The Book of the Dead", a book of rituals to help them move on through the afterlife.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead was both a description of the ancient Egyptian idea of the afterlife and a collection of hymns, spells, and instructions to guide the dead through the challenges that Egyptians believed they would meet in the afterlife. Copies of the book were printed on papyrus and placed in the coffins or burial chambers of the deceased, so they could use them in the