Coffin Text From Duat

Apart from the pyramid texts, the coffin texts from Duat reveal the contribution of religion shaping the Egyptian’s bureaucracy because they seem to represent a collection of funeral spells that were written on the coffins. The texts were reserved only for the royal family; however, they had elements that signified everyday desires such as (ADD THE ELEMENTS). The ordinary people who could pay for a coffin could access the funerary spells, barring the Pharaoh from having exclusive rights to life after death. The content of the coffin texts from Duat, unlike the pyramid texts that focused on the celestial realm, placed emphasis on the subterranean elements of life after death. The texts seemed to have given hope to everyone in the locality who
would someday inevitably die. It can be inferred that the concept of using subterranean realm was to warn the deceased about the difficulties they would face as they proceed to the afterlife. The spells that were, perhaps, kept in the coffin texts to allow the deceased to remain protected against the dangers that would hinder them in the afterlife. In addition to the coded inscription and the spell, the coffin texts evidently had the myth that Osiris will judge people. The myth addressed different fears of living with the spells that allowed the deceased to avoid the unpleasant work. It also seems that the coffin texts gave the Pharaoh hopes for life after death, as they protected them from many things, thus, allowing them to have a smooth life after their death and continue their leadership.
The Artifact
After analyzing Mereruka from Saqqara, it is clear that religion played a significant role in shaping the bureaucracy of Egypt because Mereruka seem to be one of the most powerful officials of Egypt during the increase of power and wealth of the Sixth Dynasty.
The Mereruka used to have different tiles with the Vizier making him the most influential person in Egypt. The artifact appears as a symbol of power because it seems to represent the most influential people who ruled the region. The artifact is a symbol of power after the influential King Teti. The kings who lived in the tomb used to believe that they would be successful in their terms as well as their descendants. The religion that governed the tomb gave hope for all the kings that lived while making them successful in their
leadership.
The analysis of the silver bracelets of Queen Hetepheres I from Saqqara also shows that religion played a significant role to shape the Egyptian bureaucracy because the bracelets were among the most beautiful artifacts that existed in the Old Kingdom. The bracelets were created specifically for the queens and the mother Hetepheres I of Kings in Egypt that lived during the Old Kingdom. The artifacts appears to be a symbol of success, and the content of the artifacts reveals the significance of the artifact in the bureaucracy of the Egyptian leadership. For instance, elements like silver and gold that were used to make the bracelets clearly shows that only important individuals or an individual affiliated with the power can possess the bracelets.
Drawing
Even religious drawings seem to have played a significant role in shaping the Egypt’s bureaucracy.
For instance, drawings of farming, craft-making, and fishing referred to funerary proceedings, which can be interpreted as proof of the tomb owner’s notion of the world after death. One can also interpret the drawings of the tomb, whose owners were fowling and fishing in the marshes, in several ways. For example, one way to interpret the drawing is as an image of an activity carried out by the tomb owner in life—an activity that he desired to continue even after death. The scene may as well be an indication of more theoretical ideas about how the tomb owner controlled chaotic forces, which threaten him on his journey to the next world (Wilkinson 55). The beliefs of life after death were religious to the Egyptians. The special attention that the kings were given particularly after death made the Egyptians respect them politically as
well. The cartouche (ADD THE NAME OF THE CARTOUCHE), in Egyptian hieroglyphs, appears as an oval, having a horizontal line at one of its ends. This seems to represent a protection of some sort against evil spirits. Owning a cartouche clearly gave the king power over the other officials. They remained under him and could only act upon his commands—the responsibility of a king was to protect his people. However, the pharaoh only protected himself from the evil spirits in life as well as after death (Málek 89). In time, the significance of the cartouche had decreased. Egyptians used it as a symbol of protection from the evil spirits. This also shows the decrease of power that the pharaoh had on the people.
Conclusion
The state religion of Egypt was in the form of theocratic polytheism, implying that it was ruled by many gods. Egyptians believed that the deities had planned the future of their country from the beginning. They, therefore, considered their society to be sacred. Hence, the kings of the country were considered to be gods, and the people feared and respected them like gods. From the findings, it is evident that religious played a significant role in shaping Egypt’s bureaucracy during the Old Kingdom. Ancient Egyptian beliefs insisted that religious, social, and political empires were interdependent. Political and social themes may have been related, but they were brought about by religious considerations. Religious beliefs determined all the political and social decisions. Whereas, salvation entailed taking part in the solar cycle; and taking part in the cycle of life and death meant being able to communicate with the gods. However, to do so, the deceased had to be raised to the status of a god in order to attain a divine status. This was necessary to achieve royal status, which also meant being in a position to rule the people politically. Furthermore, this would further lead to the possession of suitable insignia as well as residence. Religion also influenced the future of Egypt’s bureaucracy. The change in outlook for individuals of the elite resulted in the bureaucratization of the economic and the political power of the state. Decentralization of the power involved new duties from the new rulers. With time, the transfer of royal power became similar to the ordinary transaction of property. This illustrates that despite the divine character of the king, his office was treated like a transferable property.