Remains of Egyptian Kings and Myth by by Robert Morkot Essays

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.

The Egyptians believed very much in life after death. As Taylor states in Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, “It is often observed that they appear to have devoted greater efforts and resources to preparing for the afterlife than to creating a convenient environment for living” (Taylor, 2001:12). The Egyptians viewed life on earth as one stage and death as the beginning of another. They believed that, “human existence did not end with death and that survival of the body played a part in the new life” (Taylor, 2001:12). One of the key elements in the Egyptian culture and religion was the preservation of the body. The body was the most important aspect because it was like a portal through which an individual could continue to live

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.

Mark, J.J. (2013). Ancient Egyptian Culture. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 8, 2015, from http://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Culture/

Yet the art of the Egyptians had a majorly different purpose of these cultures. Egyptian art was designed to convey divine or deceased heir. To pass on the idea of the recipient receiving the benefit of ritual action. Furthermore, the royal and elite class served as intermediaries between the gods and the people. In stone statuary, limited positions, a strong back pillar for support, and spaces left between limbs gave out the impression of how the stone statuary was quite closed. while in two-dimensional art, the representation of the world was more of an informative way of all the aspects of each element in 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.

This excerpt discusses “Pyramid Texts,” which are collections of spells, hymns of praise, and offerings used to guarantee one’s transformation of physical mortality. During the Middle Kingdom “Pyramid Texts” became more available to common people they became known as “Coffin Texts.” The excerpt also discussed the details of a soul’s judging before the god of the dead, Osiris. The decease’s heart is weighed against Ma’at (principle of cosmic order) to determine the type of life he or she lived. This article provided good information on what the Egyptians believe happens to the soul after death and how it is different based on the life that was lived. It also gave in depth information on what they used to ensure they are judged correctly.

Retrieved October 24, 2014. The Egyptians - Mummies. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24,

The Egyptian’s began to make a better understanding on the mummification, it took roughly around seventy days to complete. First; all the major organs were removed from the body, the brain was extracted through the nose with a curved hook, the brain was usually thrown out and not used. The heart was the only organ that was not removed; the Egyptian’s believed the heart was symbolic.

An Egyptian funerary ritual consists of death and the soul’s journey to the afterlife. Historian Bunson once said, ”Eternity was the common destination of each man, women and child in Egypt”, however, not an Egypt in the clouds or sky, but one that mirrored one’s life on earth. The Fields of Reeds was the Egyptian afterlife which was a perfect reflection of the deceased’s life on earth. These burial rites were practiced as early as 4000 BCE and help reflect this vision of eternity. Next was the mummification process, which was practiced in Egypt as early as 3500 BCE. After a person had died, the family would bring the body to embalmers. Then the embalmers would offer three choices to the bereaved. The first was (Ikram, 53) which involved the family agreeing upon a price and leaving the task to the embalmers. For ( Ikram, 53) the embalmers would have the internal organs removed, to help preserve the body. Then the organs were put in jars and left in tomb with the wrapped body. The second chose was (Osiris) and it was the most expensive of the three choices. If this process is chosen the body is laid out on a table and the brain is extracted from the body, before they deceased is wrapped and buried. The last choice of the three is (Nardo, 110) which represents the cheapest of them all. In this choice nothing was removed from the body, the embalmers would simply wash out the intestines

Omnipresent in Egyptian life, religion was the basis of Ancient Egyptian civilization. A crucial feature and driving force of Ancient Egyptian religion was the belief in life after death, or the afterlife. The other world offered the same pleasures as those enjoyed on earth: friends, servants, fishing, hunting, entertainment, and good food. It was presumed that death was simply a temporary interruption of life and that eternal life was therefore attainable; eternal life could be ensured by preserving the dead body. Egyptians believed that the body was the house for the soul and that the spirit could only live on if the body was preserved forever. If the body was lost, so too was the spirit. Mummification, the process by which the dead body is preserved, arose in response to the yearning of an eternal life. Ancient Egyptian mummification was not simply the preservation of the body as it had been in life, but it was also an opportunity to transform the dead body into a new eternal body, a perfect image of the deceased. Through mummification to preserve the dead, Ancient

On November 21st at 7:30 in Williams gym, Dr. Tasha- Dobbin Bennet, an assistant professor of art history and studio art at Oxford college, gave a lecture on “Ancient Egyptian Conceptions of Decompositions.” She spoke about the stages and and events of decomposition that occur during the mummification. I really enjoyed how she analyzed the significance and meaning behind hieroglyphics and related it to her findings about mummification. Dr. Bennet revealed an enlightening perspective on ancient Egyptian history.

The information on burial rituals and objects shown on display depict Egypt’s ancient religious beliefs and how the afterlife worked.

This thesis proposes that Egyptian tomb painting served as a housing for the Ka. The analysis examined the link between the tomb paintings and therefore the Ka at intervals the modern non secular literature finding that they served this purpose. the primary relationship incorporates the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony that returns life to the deceased in each the texts and illustrations. The ambiguous nature of the texts refers the returning of life to the deceased. This includes all the elements of the soul (Ka, Ba, and Akh) and every one physical and inventive representations. These paintings conjointly support the Ka with depictions of food offerings. A secondary question addresses the identification of the deceased showing within the paintings.

Ancient Egypt has so many wonderful mysteries. How were the pyramids built, what was the mummification process. Maybe one will never know. There may be a few facts one won’t want to know. This essay will tell one all about mummies.