Erin Bugler

Erin Bugler Ancient Egypt Burial Practice English 2 period

Ancient Egypt Tombs

Six weeks in and all the important organs have been placed in the jars. The servants are about finished with the lords golden chamber, making sure to place the entire gold and valuable possessions in. one more week and he shall be in peace with the gods. Golden chambers? Organs tossed in jars? No, this isnt some scary story; this is how the Egyptians buried their pharaohs and prepared them for the afterlife. Because pharoses were considered gods and goddesses they had to perform special rituals where they would be buried in a chamber of gold and have their organs or guts pulled out and placed in jars while some others were thrown away. So why do this? Whats this do for the dead? Well Egypt is an exotic foreign land and is a well advanced civilization with special traditions, in which will allow the dead to rest in peace.

Egypt has had many rules who were buried this way. Wretchedly in excess of time these historical symbols were plundered by grave robbers. Luckly a chamber was never looted so when the archeologist have made this wonderful discovery. They found the gold literally, King Tutankahamum tomb was the largest tomb found in the valley(13) and was filled with valuables which included many personal possessions including wigs, board games, furniture and cosmetic jars.(13) King Tutankahamum was placed inside a golden box shaped shrine. This turned out to contain four shrines one inside the other. The last one held an enormous yellow quartzite beneath the lid (which was so heavy that it had to be

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winched off ) laid three more coffins, made of gold weighed 300 pounds, held the mummified body. King Tutankahamum was found dressed in the royal regalia. King Tutankahamums head and shoulders of the dead pharaoh where covered by a magnificent golden death mask. This mask was chiseled and painted to have the same boyish look king Tutankahamum had once possessed. This was not the same for all pharos but for the powerful ones and the wealthiest ones, this has given an idea of the tombs in which the pharaohs have been placed in. Even so what influenced the culture to bury gold and valuables and was it the same for the lesser folk? Well as Ancient Egyptian had is beliefs in the afterlife influenced their funerary practices and as when as their rituals. The ancient Egyptians spent most of their lives preparing for it for they were pretty much obsessed with death. They also had a desire to have a well-furnished sustained afterlife consequently led to the survival of extensive funerary artifacts, tomb art, preserved bodies, pyramids, funerary literature and mortuary text, such as, the coffin text, pyramid texts and the book of dead. . (13) To them, the afterlife was a very important part, which is why they spent their whole lives preparing for it. The Egyptians believed that the body had to be intact in order for the next world to except it. To make sure that the body would remain intact, the Egyptians would perform what is called the mummification process.

To mummify a body, there were three main steps. The first step was to get rid of everything that was inside the body except for the heart and skeleton. The removed organs were placed in jars. Those jars were placed in the tomb with the body later on. The heart was kept because it was thought to be important, but the brain was believed to have to no importance, so it was extracted through the nostrils. The second step was to dry out the body. This was done by stuffing the body with fluid-absorbing substances. When it was fully

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stuffed, the body was left for forty-five days to become completely dried out. After that was done, the body was stuffed with ground-up wood. The body is now ready to be wrapped.

The body was wrapped in linen, with small charms put in between. The charm of the Scarab Beetle was placed on the heart, and this amulet meant the most in the afterlife. A cleric prayed for the dead while the amulets were placed over the body. When that was done, the body was shrouded until the time of the funeral procession.

For the funeral procession, the relatives of the dead person were switched at the time of the march, and prepared to travel over to the other side of the Nile. The mummy made it over the Nile in a boat accompanied by a parade of Egyptians. On land, oxen would pull the sleigh with the mummy on it.

The whole thing was led by chanting priests who chanted hymns just for the ceremony. Some Egyptians carried food, gifts, greases, and the Canopic Jars, just to be buried with the mummy. When they reached the burial site, the priests preformed ceremonies to Osiris, the god of the afterlife(web). The final ceremony was the ceremony where the dead would talk and dine with the afterlife. As the last step was to put the body in the casket, and then to put the casket in the tomb. They then closed the tomb and have a party, concluding the ceremony. Which the saying the bigger the better would come in hand. Even so the more money you had the better of a chance to have a proper ceremony.

Their beliefs were also that each person had a ba, which was a soul, and a ka, who was an invisible twin of the dead person. Where which they were released from the body after the death. The ba visited family and friends and the ka traveled back and forth from the body to the underworld. In order for a person to live on forever, the ba and the ka had to be

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able to recognize the body when they returned to it every night. The process of mummification was a very important practice for the ancient. The Egyptians would ensure the survival of a person's remains, and which then promising eternal life.

Much of what we know today about art and life in ancient Egypt has been preserved in the tombs. This is where they prepared for the protection of the dead. The Egyptians believed that the next life had to be provided for in every detail and, as a result, tombs were decorated with depictions of the deceased at his funerary meal, activities of the estate and countryside, and the abundant offerings necessary to sustain the spirit.

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Six weeks in and all the important organs have been placed in the jars. The servants are about finished with the lords golden chamber, making sure to place the entire gold and valuable possessions in. Few more weeks and he shall be in the hands the gods where his faith and heart shall be tested. Chambers made of Gold? Organs placed in jars? No, this isnt some scary story; this is the way the Egyptians buried some of their pharaohs and prepared them for the afterlife. Pharoses were considered gods and goddesses and a symbol to the god in which they were representing, So to show power and wealth and as well, The people of the Pharoses would special rituals where they would be buried in a chamber, and as well have their organs or guts pulled out and placed in jars while some others were thrown away. So why do this? Whats this do for the dead? Egyptians would believe in afterlife and that the person was made and gifted with body and a soul. The belief assumed or based that soul will return to the body after death which would explain the burial practices which are most remembered or noted for preserving and mummifying the body of the dead. Preserving and mummification were originally set aside only for pharaohs but eventually the process became available to all of the public or social groups such as high, middle and low class. The afterlife was a very important part of death and was respected greatly. Egypt is deeply tided to religion and tradition in which shape the way of the dead and how they would worship them in a way after life such as how they were buried and placed, where they would no longer be seen as human but an immortal figure.

Religion had shaped the way of Egyptian life and Death was no exception to then either. When talking about religion one part of it is mainly the gods and or goddess come with it. The Egyptians are polytheism which is the belief in multiple gods. The Egyptians had gods and goddesses for almost everything. They too would use the gods as a way to explain

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the way things are the way they are, which is just like the Greek. Though when mentioning Gods and goddess and as well as death the first that should be mentioned should be Osiris.

Osiris is the Egyptian god of the dead and as well as the underworld. Osiris is considered to be the supreme god and as well as a judge of the dead, and Osiris is also as well a symbol of resurrection and eternal life. Not to be left out, he is as well provider of abundance and prosperity for the living. With mentioning the Underworld Anubis should also be mentioned as well. Anubis is regularly represented as a jackal, is the god of the dead but is often considered the gatekeeper of the underworld. Babi is also known as Baba, is the deification of the baboon. (This was a common animal in ancient Egypt.) Babi was the god of wild baboons, especially alpha males. He was aggressive and bloodthirsty, and was given the job of eating the wicked dead in the Underworld. He especially loved entrails (Riordan).

Theses gods were the foremost characters for death, but these are only the main characters as for the others there are ten additional in which also decide you fate in the afterlife. The Four Sons of Horus are another group deeply involved in preparation for the afterlife. For each four jars in which the organs are placed in the four heads of the four sons are mimicked. For these where the Gods and Goddesses they would face in the afterlife. The Egyptians have held rituals and preparations to help the soul and body pass through to the afterlife with ease and as well as fully intact.

The Ancient Egyptians believed the process of mummification would preserve the body for eternity; it was their belief that they would have to reprocess the body in the afterlife. The Egyptians had many rituals and ceremonies to prepare the body. Some Such rituals include funerary spells, and how everything in the tomb was made to face or orientated towards the dead. So all the inscriptions would have been where the deads head was. Also

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included in the inscription they would list what they wanted in the afterlife which may have been to keep their head or limbs and maybe to have abundance of food. As well as what they wanted they would also list what the dead did not was such as to lose his head, have his magic eating by and animal to be unhappy and such. But not only did they inscribe the walls with lists and such they would write writ protective spells in the cracks of the wall before it was wired together.

The spells were to protect and it seemed that as the spells were knitted together on the sides of the coffin as though it was symbolically the body just as the spells also keep your limbs intact, and of course they would need their limbs to be intact because they,the Egyptians alleged that eventually the mummy would be freed from its wrapping and would gain mobility in the afterlife and the ability to transform them selfs to into whatever or being that is necessary.

Of course some of the other ceremonies those were preformed while they were performing mummification. When they are wrapping the body, Spells from the book of the dead would be read to ward off evil spirits and help the body enter the afterlife. After the body was prepared and ready for burial the Open Mouth Ceremony would commence. The Open Mouth Ceremony was preformed aforementioned to being buried; this ritual was performed to enable the spirit to receive food and drinks, to breath and to see. Thru enabling the spirit to partake in the offerings brought to the tomb.

When the body was being transported towards the burial ground the body would have to cross the Nile River, which was considered a reference to the legend of Isis. Goddess, sister and wife to Cyrus and how Isis cared her husbands body which was enclosed in a sacred tree, and took him on a boat traveling to Egypt and held him while flooding him with

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tears. (Crystal) In the Process of bring the body Funeral cult was organized only after the body had been embalmed. In this process members of the family were not afraid to a spectacle of themselves by sobbing and moaning throughout the parade. The Ancient Egyptian family would even higher Professional Mourners, who would then follow the teams of servants.

Which were then following the team's servants the first team carried flowers and cakes , Terra Cotta jars in vases while another team carried furniture jewels, necklaces and mirrors all of these objects were just to be buried with the mummy. They would bring body over the Nile in a boat which followed by the group of servants, mourners, and family members along with the priest. When they reached the other side, on land, oxen would pull a sleigh with which carried the body on it. Arriving at the burial site the priest would perform a ceremony which was dedicated to Osiris (god of the afterlife). Which was followed my opening mouth ceremony, and then they would close the tomb and having a party and then that concluded ceremony.

They also believed that each person would have a ba (Crystals), which was a soul, and a ka (Crystals), which was an invisible twin of the dead. When passed away they were released from the body. The ba would visit the family and friends and as for the ka it traveled back and forth from the body to the underworld.

So in order for a person to obtain immortality, the ba and as well as the ka have to be able to recognize the body for when they both returned to it. This is why the process of

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mummification was a very important practice for the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians would want to ensure the survival of a person's remains.

Ancient Egyptians were mummified to enable them to go on into the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians were very selective of those who would be allowed in the afterlife and those that werent. There was a belief among the ancient Egyptians where they would have to speak their name before the gods of judgment or the 14 gods, who would then either save your soul and make you immortal or condemn you to die again for all eternity. But some of the mummies where damaged, which was an intentional act of malice in which would prevent them from speaking their names in the afterlife, breathing again in the afterlife, and essentially living for eternity. This was just an idea of what have happened to only some of the mummies.

Mummification was a complex chemical process it would take at least up to several months. The Ancient Egyptians would take the body of the deceased to the Monterey, where it was then washed with palm oil and water from the Nile. The ancient Egyptians would then use Natron to dry out the body during mummification processes. they would then use plant oil, such as Castrol oil and sesame, and other organic matter to help preserve the body. Mummification was carried out by special priests and embalmers who would work on the body and some of them had very specialized jobs like the one who would make the cuts and one who were doing the bandaging. So in terms it was a large brotherhood of priests and embalmed workers.

The first thing they did after drying the body, then stuffing it to give it a life like appearance, they would stuff the body with herbs, spices, linen, sawdust, and salt. Mummification then would go on to removal process. The first thing to do was to remove the

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brain, and this was done by inserting a very sharp object up the nostril and was hit repeatedly so it would so it would break the bone up the nostril and then they would poke around and be able to turn the brain to mush then remove the brain by teasing it with a hooked instrument thought the nostril and patting the head violently until the brain came out. They then would pour a liquid resin into the brain cavity; this was to prevent any bacteria from growing.

Once the brain has been deposed of they would then make an incision in to the left side of the abdominal area. Embalmers would eradicate the lungs, the liver, the stomach and the intestines, and the heart would be left in the place. The removed organs were placed in jars called Cinopic jars. Each organ was believed to be represented by a different god which were called the four son of Horus. The heart was left in place for the ancient Egyptians thought the heart was the most important organ. For they thought and believed thats where your soul was rescinded and the heart was where you as a being was. As well the heat was also need to go through the feather-of-truth test, or the judging of the 14 gods.

The bodies were then wrapped in linen after it had been oiled and incensed to smell nice. The secret of embalming or mummification was kept secret so what is used during the process is still unsure but some other matter that was used is now believed "The use of drying oils was clearly widespread," they write, "with coniferous resins and beeswax increasing in importance with time." Coniferous resins, the scientists explain, can slow microbial degradation, whereas beeswax has antibacterial properties and serves as a sealant. Given that no detailed written records of the process exist, the findings shed much needed light on the role of organic preservatives in mummification. (Graham). During the wrapped up of the bandages, amulets, and as well as small charms were put in between the linen or bandages. One of the few charms that were placed in would be the Scarab Beetle which was placed on the heart; this amulet meant the most in the afterlife. A cleric or priest prayed for

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the dead while the amulets were placed over the body. When that was done, the body was shrouded until the time of the funeral procession. Amulets where not only placed on the body a knife and the book of dead as well. When The Warping was finished a golden portrait mask was then placed on top of the deceaseds head. Then finally was in closed the first coffin, and then followed by three more coffins.

Egypt has had many rules who were buried this way. Wretchedly in excess of time these historical symbols were plundered by grave robbers. Luckily archeologists have made a discovery of a chamber in which has not been found nor looted. King Tutankahamum tomb was the largest tomb found in the valley (Wheatly, Reid 13) and which was filled with valuables, including many personal possessions including wigs, board games, furniture and cosmetic jars. (Wheatly, Reid 13) King Tutankahamum was placed inside a golden box shaped shrine. This turned out to contain four shrines one inside the other. King Tutankahamums head and shoulders of the dead pharaoh were covered by a magnificent golden death mask. (Wheatly, Reid 12) This mask was chiseled and decorated to have mirrored the look of king Tutankahamum had once held. This tomb was an idea of the extravagant burial traditions and time was placed into the processes of burying the dead

Ancient Egypt a land with religion as a base to mostly to all structures which included death rituals traditions, and burials. From certain Egyptian god Osiris who is the supreme god and as well as a judge of the dead. Anubis, who is the god of the dead but is often considered the gatekeeper of the underworld. Babi is also known as Baba, was given the job of eating the wicked dead in the Underworld. Along with the four sons of Horus where part of the 14 gods who judged the dead. Then to how the ceremonies would be in their names or to include religious beliefs. Such ceremonies where including funerary spells such as, The Open Mouth Ceremony was preformed aforementioned to being buried, amulets being placed which a

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priest spoke from the book of the dead while they were performing mummification. Also when the body was being transported towards the burial ground the body would have to cross the Nile River, and which were then following the team's servants. In this they believed in the Ba, Soul, and the ka, Invisible twin. Of course mummification is the big part or the burial process for that is the whole beginning step for the afterlife. In Mummification they would wash then dry the body out which is about 40 day including removal of organs except the heart. Then stuff and oil with incense the body to rid of the smell and allow it to smell nice. Finally they would wrap place up in linen which may take up to a week a final place the body in the sarcophagus. As an example king Tut was used to show the glamorized tombs which pharos were given, and why the time was spent as it was.