Mummification In Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians had strong beliefs that they never once questioned. One of the most important religious beliefs that they had was the preservation of the human body once a person died, a method called mummification. They believed that mummification was the only way to gain immortality. They thought that in order for their Ba, their personality or spirit, to live on after death they needed their physical body preserved. The afterlife for them was just continuing the lives they had on Earth, only better. There is no death and sickness in the afterlife. Once they died, they would make a journey to another world where they would lead new lives.

Mummification was a long and expensive process reserved for the rich and powerful. Those who had

They were small, hand-carved human figures that would go with the deceased in the afterlife. Each doll had a spell inscribed to it that specified the task that it had to do, known as the Shabti formula. The dolls were also given tiny tools needed to complete their tasks. There were many materials used to make Shabti, including wax, wood, stone, and occasionally glass and bronze. They were also purchased from temple workshops. In the underworld, known as Amduat, there was work to complete. The wealthy nobles and royals didn’t want to do any of the work themselves, so the purpose of the Shabti was to do the work of the deceased for

However, they divided into two groups: the overseers and workers. There was a total of 36 overseers, one for each group, and a total of 365 workers, one for each day of the Egyptian year. The workers were now considered more like slaves than servants. Most burials, no matter how wealthy you are, included a grand total of 401 Ushabti. They were simply made with little detail. They were also often bought in organized decorative boxes due to their large number. By the end of the Ptolemaic Period, the Ushabti was no longer in use due to the decrease of people who understood the complex language and the cult of