Anubis was the ancient Egyptian god associated with mummification and burial rituals. Here, he is shown attending to a mummy

The ancient Egyptians had an elaborate set of burial rituals and protocols that they believed were necessary to ensure their immortality after death. These rituals and protocols included mummification, casting of magic spells, and burial with specific grave goods thought to be needed in the afterlife.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or airlessness. ...

The burial customs used by the ancient Egyptians evolved continuously throughout time as old customs were discarded and new ones adopted, but several important elements of the process persist. And though specific details changed over time, the preparation of the body, the magic rituals involved, and the grave goods provided were all essential parts of a proper Egyptian funeral.

Mummification

See also main article, Mummy.

According to ancient Egyptian religion, keeping the body of an individual intact after death was necessary so that the various aspects of the soul would have a place to live after death. For this reason, the ancient Egyptians used mummification to prevent the person's remains from decaying. Though no records exist that document the exact process ancient Egyptians used to mummify humans, documents describing the mummification of the sacred Apis bull combined with thorough examination of existing mummies allows scholars to deduce the most likely mummification process utilized. This article is about the corpse preparation method, for other uses of Mummy see Mummy (disambiguation) A mummy in the British Museum A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack... In Egyptian mythology, the human soul is made up of seven parts: the Ren, Sekhem, the Akh, the Ba, the Ka, the Sheut, and the Sekhu. ...

The process of mummification was first used in the Old Kingdom, but was not fully developed until the New Kingdom. Mortuary services were available to anyone who could afford them, though wealthy members of society could afford more elaborate services. The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization complexity and achievement – this was the first of three so-called Kingdom periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the Nile Valley (the... The New Kingdom is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BCE and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt. ...

The basic process involved laying the body on a flat board. Next, the body would then be opened by a priest wearing a jackal mask to represent Anubis, the God of the Dead. The lungs, liver and other organs were removed, mummified separately, and put into canopic jars. The heart was left intact because Egyptians believed this is where the essence of a person resided. Because the ancient Egyptians thought the brain to be without function, the brain would be removed. This was accomplished by inserting a hooked rod through the nose, stirring the brain until it turned to a liquid-like state, and pouring it out through the nose. The cranial cavity would then be swabbed with linen and hot resin poured into the cavity to seal it. For other uses, see Anubis (disambiguation). ... Among the ancient Egyptians, canopic jars were covered funerary vases, intended to keep the viscera of mummified corpses. ... For other uses, see Brain (disambiguation). ...

The body cavity and the separate parts were then washed with wine, a natural disinfectant. The body was then placed in natron for about 40 days, with packets of natron placed inside the chest cavity. Natron dehydrated the body, which, combined with the high salt concentration, prevented bacterial growth and decay of the body. Natron is a white, crystalline hygroscopic mineral salt, primarily a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (common baking soda) and sodium carbonate (soda ash) with small amounts of sodium chloride (table salt) and sodium sulfate. ...

The mummy was then wrapped in many layers of linen strips, sealed to the body by tar and/or resin. Magic amulets were put in the folds and were believed to protect the body from evil spirits and help the soul on its journey through the afterlife. The entire process was completed in 70 days, after which the mummy was delivered to the deceased person's family for burial.

Burial rituals and funerary literature

After the mummy was prepared, it would need to be symbolically re-animated by a priest. The opening of the mouth ceremony was conducted by a priest who would utter a spell and touch the mummy or sarcophagus with a ceremonial adze. This ceremony ensures the mummy could breathe and speak in the afterlife. In a similar fashion, the priest could utter spells to reanimate the mummy's arms, legs, and other body parts. The Opening of the mouth ceremony (or ritual) was an ancient Egyptian ritual described in funerary texts such as the Pyramid Texts. ...

The weighing of the heart, a scene from the book of the dead

In addition to the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, many mummies were provided with some form of funerary literature to take with them to the afterlife. Most funerary literature consists of lists of spells and instructions for navigating the afterlife. During the Old Kingdom, only the pharaoh had access to this material, which scholars refer to as the Pyramid Texts. The Pyramid Texts are a collection of spells to help the pharaoh in the afterlife. Pharaoh Unas was the first to use this collection of spells, as he and a few subsequent pharaohs had them carved on the walls of their pyramids.^[2] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 401 pixelsFull resolution (7707 × 3859 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 401 pixelsFull resolution (7707 × 3859 pixel, file size: 2. ...

In the First Intermediate Period and in the Middle Kingdom, some of the Pyramid Text spells are also found in burial chambers of high officials and on many coffins, where they begin to evolve into what scholars call the Coffin texts. In this period, the nobles and many non-royal Egyptians began to have access to funerary literature, which later evolved into the well-known Book of the dead. By the New Kingdom, any Egyptian who could afford a Book of the dead was able to take with him to the afterlife a list of spells and instructions that would ensure his safe passage.^[3] The Book of the Dead comd A Section of Plate 3 from the Papyrus of Ani. ...

Burial goods

From the earliest periods of Egyptian history, all Egyptians were buried with at least some burial goods which they thought necessary after death. At a minimum, these usually consist of everyday objects such as bowls, combs, and other trinkets, along with food. Wealthier Egyptians could afford to be buried with jewelry, furniture, and other valuables, which made them targets of tomb robbers.

As burial customs developed in the Old Kingdom, wealthy citizens were buried in wooden coffins and were accompanied by more varied kinds of valuables. Starting in the First Intermediate period, wooden models became very popular burial goods. These wooden models often depict everyday activities that the deceased expected to continue doing in the afterlife. Also, a type of rectangular coffin became the standard, being brightly painted and often including an offering formula. The Ancient Egyptian offering formula, generally referred to as the ḥtp-dỉ-nsw formula by Egyptologists, was written in ancient Egypt as an offering for the deceased. ...

A selection of shabti statues

In the New Kingdom, some of the old burial customs changed. For example, an anthropoid coffin shape became standardized, and the deceased were provided with a small shabti statue, which the Egyptians believed would perform work for them in the afterlife. In later burials, the numbers of shabti statues increased; in some burials numbering over 400 statues. In addition to these shabti statues, poor Egyptians could be buried with many different types of magical figurines to protect them from harm. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (960 × 1280 pixel, file size: 520 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (960 × 1280 pixel, file size: 520 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with ushabti. ...

Although the types of burial goods changed throughout ancient Egyptian history, their functions to protect the deceased and provide sustenance in the afterlife remain a common purpose.

References

• Digital Egypt, an outstanding source of information
• www.cartage.org.lb
• http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/7037/religion/religion.htm

v • d • e Ancient Egypt-related topics

Architecture · Art · Chronology · Cuisine · Dynasties · Geography · History · Mathematics · Medicine · Religion · Pharaohs · People · Language · Sites · Technology · Writing Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... Image File history File links Egypt. ... For at least ten thousand years, the Nile valley has been the site of one of the most influential civilizations in the world which developed a vast array of structures known as Ancient Egyptian architecture. ... This article has been tagged since January 2007. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... An Egyptian couple harvesting from a painting in the tomb from the early Ramessid period. ... This page lists articles on dynasties of Ancient Egypt. ... Main article: Ancient Egypt Archaeological evidence indicates that a distinct culture was developing in the Nile valley from before 5000 BC. What is now called the Pharaonic Period is dated from around 3100 BC, when Egypt became a unified state, until its survival as an independent state ceased in 332... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Pharaoh was the ancient Egyptian name for the office of kingship. ... Map of Ancient Egypt List of Ancient Egyptian sites, throughout all of Egypt and Nubia Sites are listed with their classical name whenever possible, else their modern name and last if no other available their ancient name. ... Ancient Egyptian technology is a set of artifacts and customs that lasted for thousands of years. ... The writing systems of ancient Egypt include: Egyptian hieroglyphs Cursive hieroglphs Hieratic Demotic the Coptic alphabet Other texts discovered in Egypt and dating to the period before Islam include those written in: the Greek alphabet the Latin alphabet the Cuneiform script the Old Persian cuneiform script Tifinagh the South Arabian... Egyptology · Egyptologists · Egyptology portal The Great Sphinx of Giza against Khafres Pyramid at the Giza pyramid complex. ... Egyptologist is the designation given to an archaeologist or historian who specialises in Egyptology, the scientific study of Ancient Egypt and its antiquities. ...