The Afterlife in Ancient Egypt
This is an ageless question; a question that has been asked for hundreds of thousands of years. It has been asked globally, a new theory on every continent. This question is: is there life after death? The ancient Egyptians thought so. They valued life more than anything, and a way to continue living even after you stop living was extremely precious. The afterlife, known to them as “The Land of Two Fields,” has been recorded on scrolls and walls of temples and tombs. To the ancient Egyptians, death was not the end- it was an invitation to the beginning of a new life.
On Earth, if a royal person died, the first thing that would happen to them is mummification. The process of mummification was a sophisticated process done by priests. First, their internal organs would be removed by long, sharp surgical tools. The brain was removed, too. It was pulled out by a long metal hook entering the nose that first punctured the skull and then pulled out the brain. However, it was considered useless and was disposed of. Each organ would be placed in different canopic jars, each with some sort of god or animal painted on it. The stomach would go in a jackal jar, the liver would go in the human jar, the lungs would go in the baboon jar, and the intestines were placed in a falcon jar. Then, the body was covered in spices and a special salt called “natron salt”. These would preserve the body for many, many years. After it was dried, the corpse was wrapped in hundreds of yards of linen- over 20 layers! Mummification was vital to entering the afterlife, because if your body was not preserved, you would not live through it. The ancient Egyptians believed it kept your Akh (soul), Ka (life force), and Ba (personality) alive in the afterlife. The mummification process was used for thousands of years.
Then, the deceased would be honored with an intricate funeral and burial service. Their family would walk behind the detailed coffin as it was lifted into the air and then carried. Next, a priest performed the “Opening of the Mouth” ritual, in which they would restore the mummy’s senses so they could see, breathe, and hear in the afterlife. After this, the mummy would be placed in the tomb. Many things were placed with the mummy (in the coffin), as they were supposed to comfort him or her all the way through the afterlife. Many important things were actually inside the coffin. There were four layers of coffin: the first was a gold outer coffin with human features painted on it, usually resembling the corpse. The next was gold foil laid over wood (each coffin was shaped like a human body). After that was a coffin made up of about 240 pounds of solid gold, and under it was a thin coffin covered in jewels, amulets, and magical charms meant to protect the mummy in the afterlife.
After that, it was off to the afterlife! The process of getting in is a very detailed, advanced process that has been recorded not only on walls, but a very important scripture called “The Book of the Dead.” This scribe described everything that went on while the person was in the afterlife. The first place they would go to was the Hall of Judgment, in which they would have to confess any wrongdoings to Maat, the goddess of truth. Then, their heart would be weighed by the jackal-headed god Anubis. Previously, when the body was mummified, they left in the heart so it could be with them in the afterlife. When the heart was weighed, it was on a scale compared against a feather (representing Maat). This judgment was to see whether or not you have been honest, or if you have done any good deeds. If your heart weighed less than or equal to the weight of the feather, you would be free to continue a heavenly life in The Land of Two Fields. If your heart weighed more than the feather, it means you have not been honest. You would not be allowed in the afterlife, your heart and soul would be eaten by Ammut, the god with the backside of a hippopotamus, the body of a leopard, and the head of a crocodile. Then you would be sent back to Earth to be a spirit feared and hated by all the people. But it was not as simple as that; you wouldn’t just be sent into the afterlife if your heart was light. Sometimes, the deceased were not even able to get into the Land of Two Fields. However, if they got in, they were nonetheless able to spend all of eternity in a heavenly place where they could continue life.
Today there are many sacred tombs that have lasted throughout many years. For example, there’s The Tomb of the Bird Mummies. It was a tomb housing only animals that had been mummified. Despite the name of the tomb, only one of the species there was a bird: the Ibis. The Ibis was one of the most sacred animals (or birds, to be more specific) to the ancient Egyptians. The animals in the Tomb of the Bird Mummies were ibises, baboons, cats, snakes, crocodiles, frogs, and still many more. Another important tomb was Abydos, which contained a half-flooded temple known as Osireon, which was built by Seti I. However, it’s mainly known for being the falsely thought tomb of Osiris. The most famous place, which contains the tomb of Pharaoh Tutenkhamen, is called Valley of the Kings. Valley of the Kings is where the well-renowned archeologist and egyptologist Howard Carter spent years searching for King Tut’s tomb. Many items were placed in the tomb to ensure the deceased would make it through to the afterlife. For example, jewelery, furniture, and even mummified pets could be found. In Tut’s tomb, the most incredible items were found, including his chariot. Besides Tut’s there were many more accesible tombs, and by 1000 B.C., all known royal tombs were robbed.
There is a countless number of tombs, walls, and scrolls that record images and ideas of the afterlife. Even today, people still question whether or not there is an afterlife; a question asked all over the world. Yet, hundreds of thousands of years ago, that question was asked by a civilization so mighty and so unified- a civilization known world-wide. Hundreds (or maybe even thousands) of articles and books and documents have philosophies and theories on a life after death... but to the Ancient Egyptians, death wasn’t the finish line: it was simply the first chapter in a new life.
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