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Mummification was a practice that the ancient Egyptians adopted because they believed that the body needed to be preserved in order for the dead to be reborn in the afterlife. [15] Initially, Egyptians thought that like Ra , their physical bodies, or Khat, would reawaken after they completed their journey through the underworld. [ 16 ]
Although no writing survived from the Predynastic period in Egypt (c. 6000 – 3150 BCE), scholars believe the importance of the physical body and its preservation originated during that time. This likely explains why people of that time did not follow the common practice of cremation among neighboring cultures, but rather buried the dead.
Eventually the Sun meets the body of the mummified Osiris. Osiris and the Sun, re-energized by each other, rise to new life for another day. For the deceased, their body and their tomb were their personal Osiris and a personal Duat. For this reason they are often addressed as "Osiris".
Ay, with a leopard skin, performing the opening of the mouth for Tutankhamun.Wall painting from the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV 62), 18th Dynasty (c. 1325 BCE). The ancient Egyptians held the belief that to reach the afterlife, one must pass through a series of arduous trials in the duat, which involve evading perilous creatures and traps.
Ka statues were usually carved from wood or stone and sometimes painted in the likeness of the owner to reinforce the spiritual connection and preserve the person's memory for eternity. Many ka statues were placed in a purpose-built mortuary chapel, or niche, which could be covered with appropriate inscriptions. [ 2 ]
Experts working in the Tomb of Cerberus in Giugliano, an area in Naples, unsealed a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus. Inside they found the remains of a shockingly well-preserved body lying face-up and ...
Dozens of well-preserved beer jars and several well-made and red-lined vessels, seal impressions, including seals of the pharaohs who ruled during the fifth and sixth dynasties were also uncovered. One of the earliest seals might belonged to pharaoh Shepseskare, who ruled Egypt before Nyuserre. [110]
All the kings mentioned preserved this political regime for a very long time, and they led a happy life under the empire of these laws; moreover, they subdued many nations, acquired very great wealth and adorned the country with extraordinary works and constructions, and the cities with rich and varied ornaments."