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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.
Pharaohs' subjects viewed the pharaoh as a living god, the god Horus. Once the pharaoh died, he became the god Osiris , the king of eternity. [ 5 ] While some retainers' deaths appear to have been taken for granted, other sacrifices appear to have raised the status and wealth of some retainers in the afterlife.
Finally, the shut, or shadow of the deceased, was preserved by spells 91, 92 and 188. [34] If all these aspects of the person could be variously preserved, remembered, and satiated, then the dead person would live on in the form of an akh. An akh was a blessed spirit with magical powers who would dwell among the gods. [35]
Egyptian belief in the afterlife and the importance of funerary practices is evident in the great efforts made to ensure the survival of their souls after death – via the provision of tombs, grave goods and offerings to preserve the bodies and spirits of the deceased. The religion had its roots in Egypt's prehistory and lasted for 3,500 years ...
The archaeological team discovered a long bronze sword decorated with the engravings of Ramesses II, one of Egypt’s more notable pharaohs from the 1200s BC, along with additional weapons, tools ...
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 ...
In addition to these components of the soul, there was the human body (called the ḥꜥ, occasionally a plural ḥꜥw, meaning approximately "sum of bodily parts"). According to ancient Egyptian creation myths, the god Atum created the world out of chaos, utilizing his own magic . [1]