The idea of ancient Egyptian death rituals was significant because they were believed to ensure passage into an eternal afterlife for the deceased. These rituals required many steps and processes. The most famous was mummification.
In ancient Egypt, when a person died it was believed they would achieve immortality in another world. The Egyptians believed that upon death, one would enter a world they called the Field of Reeds. This was thought to be a mirror world, a perfect copy of the life that person had on Earth, without any of the imperfections. Entrance into this world was thought to be ensured by performing many rituals. Some of which included:
- Mummification
- Proper preparation of the coffin
- Burying the dead with their most beloved items.
Mummification was used to ensure that the body of the deceased would be preserved. To the ancient Egyptians, this was important because it would allow the body to be able to continue to hold that person's soul when it arrived in the Field of Reeds. It was also necessary for Osiris, known to ancient Egyptians as the god of the dead (among other things) to resurrect them into the afterlife.
Proper preparation of the coffin was also essential to achieve immortality in the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians would:
- Paint goddesses to safeguard the deceased on his journey
- Inscribe the coffin with details of the deceased and a list of offerings
- Paint eyes on the coffin from which it was believed the deceased could look through
- Build a secret compartment through which "Ka" (believed to represent the person's soul) could travel.
Along with these preparations, the Egyptians would bury the deceased along with his/her most useful or beloved posessions, believing that this would ensure they are available in the afterlife.
For these reasons the idea of Egyptian death rituals was significant. They allowed the deceased to live on in a perfect mirror world of their current life. The Egyptians believed they ensured this immortality through mummification, proper preparation of the coffin, burying the dead with their possessions, and many other processes that would change and evolve over time.
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