The Death Process in Ancient Egypt
“The Death Process in Ancient Egypt”
During ancient Egyptian times when a death occurred the relatives of the deceased played a huge role in the death process. This process took approximately seventy-two days and consisted of various events and ceremonies. The Egyptians took these rituals very seriously. Ancient Egyptians had strong beliefs in the afterlife, which included elaborate death ceremonies and mummification. Not only did the death process take seventy-two days but the loved ones of the deceased would also mourn for that length of time.1 The various process/rituals consisted of mummification, casting magic spells, and specific burial techniques. Majority of the elements in this process were persistent although, the extent of the process was usually based on social ranking. The major role in this procedure was mummification. Almost every Egyptian was mummified when they passed away. Due to social status, every person was mummified differently. “The poor were merely packed and dried in the sun and the wealthy were wrapped with linens.”2 During the mummification process all the internal organs were removed and placed into four separate jars each under the protection of a particular genius.3 The corpse’s brain was even removed.
After all of the organs were taken out, the body was cleansed with wine and the body cavities were packed with spices. The deceased then was seeped in perfume for several weeks. When the perfume process was complete, the body was placed in salt to take out all of the moisture.4
It was very important to the Egyptians that their loved ones were preserved in a way that they were still life like. They created a system called “embalming,” which allowed them to do such.5 With this procedure, the Egyptians could feel as if their lost one was still there with them.
The Egyptians believed in life after death, also called the afterlife. “They thought the afterlife was filled with
During ancient Egyptian times when a death occurred the relatives of the deceased played a huge role in the death process. This process took approximately seventy-two days and consisted of various events and ceremonies. The Egyptians took these rituals very seriously. Ancient Egyptians had strong beliefs in the afterlife, which included elaborate death ceremonies and mummification. Not only did the death process take seventy-two days but the loved ones of the deceased would also mourn for that length of time.1 The various process/rituals consisted of mummification, casting magic spells, and specific burial techniques. Majority of the elements in this process were persistent although, the extent of the process was usually based on social ranking. The major role in this procedure was mummification. Almost every Egyptian was mummified when they passed away. Due to social status, every person was mummified differently. “The poor were merely packed and dried in the sun and the wealthy were wrapped with linens.”2 During the mummification process all the internal organs were removed and placed into four separate jars each under the protection of a particular genius.3 The corpse’s brain was even removed.
After all of the organs were taken out, the body was cleansed with wine and the body cavities were packed with spices. The deceased then was seeped in perfume for several weeks. When the perfume process was complete, the body was placed in salt to take out all of the moisture.4
It was very important to the Egyptians that their loved ones were preserved in a way that they were still life like. They created a system called “embalming,” which allowed them to do such.5 With this procedure, the Egyptians could feel as if their lost one was still there with them.
The Egyptians believed in life after death, also called the afterlife. “They thought the afterlife was filled with
Bibliography: The British Museum “Mummification.” Online. www.ancientegypt.co.uk. 19 March 2013 Erman, Adolf. Life In Ancient Egypt. New York, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1971. Kingdom Enterprises. “History of Egyptian Traditions.” Online. www.thefuneralsource.org. 19 March 2013 “King Tut.” 16 January 2012. Online. www.king-tut.org.uk. 19 March 2013