Mummification Was the Only Really Important Part of Death in Ancient Egypt. How True Is This Statement? Discuss
Mummification was the only really important part of death in Ancient Egypt. How true is this statement? Discuss.
Mummification is perhaps the most famous part of ancient Egyptian burials, but it is certainly not the most important. It was just a facet of their beliefs, which were centred on the after life. While mummification was essential to aid their journey to the after life, there are many areas that are equally important. (El Mahdy, C. 1989) Rituals like the opening of the mouth and the weighing of the heart were significant and there were many jobs that revolved around mummification. Tombs and coffins were also part of the Ancient Egyptian beliefs. These rituals and beliefs make up the most important part of death in ancient Egypt, the after life.
Mummification was an important part of death in Ancient Egypt which stretched back to very early Egyptian history. Very early in Egyptian history, people were buried in shallow graves in the desert. The hot desert sands would preserve the body before it decomposed. Mastaba tombs came along around 3100 BC. The word “mastaba” is Arabic for “bench”, which refers to the appearance of the tombs. They had an underground chamber, with the sarcophagus inside and a funerary “chapel” on top. These tombs included false doors in attempts to stop grave robbers. (Discovery Channel, 2010) They discovered that their bodies decayed when they were not preserved by the desert. To the Egyptians this was terrible, as they believed the body had to be recognizable in order for a person to reach the afterlife. It is because of this that mummification was introduced.
The frequency of finding mummified remains shows that mummification was considered important. Archaeology supports the idea that the purpose of mummification is to preserve the identity of the person. Some mummies that have been found, were dated back to the old Kingdom (2686- 2181 BC.) These mummies had their features preserved in plaster and paint, but the body was
Mummification is perhaps the most famous part of ancient Egyptian burials, but it is certainly not the most important. It was just a facet of their beliefs, which were centred on the after life. While mummification was essential to aid their journey to the after life, there are many areas that are equally important. (El Mahdy, C. 1989) Rituals like the opening of the mouth and the weighing of the heart were significant and there were many jobs that revolved around mummification. Tombs and coffins were also part of the Ancient Egyptian beliefs. These rituals and beliefs make up the most important part of death in ancient Egypt, the after life.
Mummification was an important part of death in Ancient Egypt which stretched back to very early Egyptian history. Very early in Egyptian history, people were buried in shallow graves in the desert. The hot desert sands would preserve the body before it decomposed. Mastaba tombs came along around 3100 BC. The word “mastaba” is Arabic for “bench”, which refers to the appearance of the tombs. They had an underground chamber, with the sarcophagus inside and a funerary “chapel” on top. These tombs included false doors in attempts to stop grave robbers. (Discovery Channel, 2010) They discovered that their bodies decayed when they were not preserved by the desert. To the Egyptians this was terrible, as they believed the body had to be recognizable in order for a person to reach the afterlife. It is because of this that mummification was introduced.
The frequency of finding mummified remains shows that mummification was considered important. Archaeology supports the idea that the purpose of mummification is to preserve the identity of the person. Some mummies that have been found, were dated back to the old Kingdom (2686- 2181 BC.) These mummies had their features preserved in plaster and paint, but the body was
Bibliography: Internet sites Author unknown, Date unknown, “A burial in ancient Egypt” Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://ib205.tripod.com/burial.html Author unknown, 2 December 2004, “Women in Ancient Egypt” Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://www.mediterraneas.org/article.php3?id_article=61, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 1990 Discovery channel, 2010 “Mastaba” Retrieved March 27, 2010 from http://www.yourdiscovery.com/egypt/monuments/mastabas/index.shtml Mendham, T Monet, J. 1999, “The coffins of Ancient Egypt” Retrieved April 13, 2010 from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/coffins.htm Parsons, M Wikipedia, 2010, “Mastaba” Retrieved March 25, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastaba Class handouts “Art in Ancient Egypt” Received March 15, 2010, Mr. Moyle “Aspects of Egyptian Religion” Received March 22, 2010, Mr “Early Egyptian History” Received March 15, 2010, Mr. Moyle “List of Egyptian gods” Received March 18, 2010, Mr “Lives of non-royal women” Received March 22, 2010, Mr. Moyle “Pyramids” Received March 17, 2010, Mr Class Movies “Egypt beyond the Pyramids: Death and the journey to the after life”, 2001, DVD, Dr