Mummies Research Paper

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 Egyptians believed that if they lived a good life that they would be allowed to live in a paradise in death. When an Egyptian would die, they would be mummified. Properly burying and preserving the body was very important because they believed that the soul would not actually disconnect from the body. Organs deemed important were put in jars and buried with the body. The heart was left inside the body. Once the body was cured in preserving solutions, it was then wrapped in linen cloths. Rich individuals were buried in temples with their most prized possessions. A priest would pray to Anubis for the dead to help them on their journey.

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.

The Egyptians believed in an afterlife similar to the Romans. This was that the afterlife was just a continuation of the life on Earth. Both civilizations believed that there was more to be found beyond death. This is why they both cared so much about the way the dead person was buried. Unlike Rome, Egypt started to mummify people so they could be preserved. Although, mummification was not the only burial ritual. Bodies were also placed in coffins, much like the Romans. It was once believed that the Romans did not care about the outcome of a person once they died. This is entirely untrue because their funerary practices and ceremonies were well thought out and showed planing for the inevitable afterlife. This was shown through the exaggerated time the family spent on the funeral and how the ceremonies displayed thoughts of

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 Egyptians believed that “if they were righteous, could expect a happy existence in the life after death” (15). Their idea of the underworld consisted of “lavish and well-equipped tombs,” providing all needs (20). However, not all Egyptians had these grand tombs, “but all had the hope of continuing to be after death” (20). Elaborate funeral rituals were held for the deceased for judgment by the gods. A series of sacred texts known as the Book of the Dead held the funeral rites, which was intended as a “manual of spells, incantations, and declarations” that would ease passage through the underworld and the afterlife (21). In the ritual, each spirit had to approach the Hall of Two Truths where the gods challenged the dead’s virtues, while they (the dead) proclaimed the sins they did not commit. Once satisfying all gods, the spirit was ready for final ritual, presenting

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

Welcome, I am an Egyptologist from the British Museum, and I am here to talk to you about a fantastic civilization called Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt was an empire that began in approximately 3100BCE, and ended in 30BCE. In the time of Ancient Egypt, funerary customs were an important part of the Egyptian’s culture and beliefs and these customs evolved through time to become more elaborate, and common. The artefact I have chosen to explore with you is the book of the dead as it will provide you with a greater understanding of the complex funerary customs, and their beliefs in the afterlife.

Mummification is an ancient egyptian burial rite that is centered around preparing the soul of the deceased for the afterlife. There are multiple steps involved in the process of mummification and several objects with different functions used to perform this burial rite. Mummification is centered around the thought that death was merely physical and your soul continued living, with the ability to take distinct action, in the afterlife. Everyone desired to be mummified, however the extent of the mummification depended on the wealth of the family involved. Mummification was also generally not a rite reserved for criminals and lawbreakers since the idea behind mummification is for the deceased to have an easier afterlife.

The belief in the afterlife answered the enduring questions of purpose and destiny. Ancient Egyptians lived their lives preparing for the afterlife. As soon as a pharaoh came into power he began planning and constructing his tomb, so that if he died early, his journey to the afterlife would not be delayed. The ancient Egyptians' attitude towards death was influenced by their belief in immortality. They regarded death as a temporary interruption, rather than the cessation of life. To ensure the continuity of life after death, people paid homage to the gods, both during and after their life on earth. When they died, they were mummified so the soul would return to the body, giving it breath and life this is known as. The deceased organs were taken out and stored in canopic jars. There were four jars, each for the safekeeping of particular human organs: the stomach, intestines, lungs, and liver, all of which, it was believed, would be needed in the afterlife. There was no jar for the heart as the Egyptians believed it to be the seat of the soul, and so it was left inside the body. When the soul left the body at death, it was thought to appear in the Hall of Truth to stand before Osiris for judgement. The heart of the deceased was weighed on a golden scale against the white feather of Ma’at. If the heart was found to be lighter than the feather, the soul was allowed to move on to the

I am going to discuss the differences of the passing and internment customs of the contemporary American culture with the old Egyptian culture and their primitive methods for entombment. Also, I am going to discuss how the old Egyptians would safeguard the dead bodies (mummies). Furthermore, I am going to discuss how in present day America and in advanced Egypt bodies are covered in the normal structure to imply demise as a transitional experience.

“Osiris, a wise king who was married to his sister Isis, was murdered by their evil brother Seth. Isis used her magic to bring Osiris back to life to conceive a son, Horus who revenged Osiris’ death and killed Seth, his uncle. Osiris is the God of Death, the underworld, and vegetation (historylists.org).” Since Isis brought back Osiris to conceive a son, he was known to be the God of death, the underworld,

The Egyptian beliefs on the afterlife and burial rituals derived from the story of Osiris, the god of the underworld. In this story Osiris was killed by his brother Seth out of jealousy. Seth cut Osiris into pieces and scattered them across the land. Osiris’s sister gathered his body parts and brought him back to life, but Osiris was incomplete. He was missing a body part. Because of this Osiris could no longer rule on Earth so he was cast to the underworld. This story became deeply rooted in the Egyptian culture. This brought about some of the earlier gods and their central belief on there being a life after death. They also then believed that you could only have immortality, if your body was whole and you were buried with every part of your body.

Throughout history, the mummy has been stereotyped as no more than an egyptian deceased wrapped in cloth, whose spirit returns from the dead in order to haunt mankind. However, as literature and mythology present, Mummies exist in modern context promptly as scorned lovers, scientists, past rulers, wronged souls, or a combination of all. In deconstructing the Mummy, the statement of “We are creatures that require social interaction” often comes to mind. After all, even in death we are infrequently capable of surviving without the companionship of family, loved ones, friends, or the presence of another soul.