Ancient Egyptian burial customs
Ancient Egyptian burial customs
The ancient Egyptians had an elaborate set of burial customs 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.
The burial process used by the ancient Egyptians evolved throughout time as old customs were discarded and new ones adopted, but several important elements of the process persisted. Although 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.
Anubis was the ancient Egyptian god associated
with mummification and burial rituals. Here,
he is shown attending to a mummy.
Tombs:
In the early period, bodies were buried in deserts because they would naturally be preserved by dehydration. The graves were small oval or rectangular pits dug in the sand. They could give the body of the deceased in a tight position on its left side along side a few jars of food and drink and slate palettes with magical religious spells. The size of graves eventually increased but according to status and wealth. The dry, desert conditions were a benefit in ancient Egypt for burials of the poor, who could not afford the complex burial preparations that the wealthy had.
The simple graves evolved into mud brick structures called mastabas. Royal mastabas later developed into "step pyramids" and then "true pyramids." As soon as a king took the throne he would start to build his pyramid. Rituals of the burial, including the "Opening of the mouth ceremony" took place at the Valley Temple. While a pyramid's large size were made to protect against robbery, it may also be connected to a religious belief of the sun god, Ra.
a tomb of TUTANKHAMUN
of inside a tomb TUTANKHAMUN
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