Essay On Mummification

Words: 437
Pages: 2

To an ancient Egyptian afterlife was a positive thing. Death was not the end, it was only a short interval between physical life and entering the afterlife or the Duat. During this gap, the proper mummification was performed, you rested, waiting for revivication. The embalmers mummified you, and even repaired damages to your body! If you were missing a limb or a body part, an artificial one could be put on its place. It was considered important that you entered the Egyptian afterlife, Iaru, or the Field of Reeds, with a complete body.

Geb, the sky god, and Nut, the earth goddess had four children: Osiris, Isis, Set and Nephthys. Osiris was the oldest and became king of Egypt, he married his sister Isis. Osiris was a good king and soon earned
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She sent her slaves into the river Nile to retrieve her deceased husbands body. She then found it and whilst she was giving him a proper funeral Seth seized the body, chopped it into pieces and threw them into the river Nile. Isis once again found the parts of the body and summoned the god of the underworld, Anubis. Anubis, for the first time mummified the body. Osiris ruled from the underworld instead. This was how mummification began.
Mummification was necessary to enter the Egyptian afterlife – the mummy was the home for the Ka and Ba/ life force the part of the soul that could travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. Mummification was performed by an embalmer. Once the mummification was finished, and the deceased was carefully wrapped in linen. Next, they revived the senses of the diseased so they could enter the afterlife. For this the Opening of the Mouth –ceremony was performed, in most cases, by special priests. The point of the ceremony was to bring back the senses all the senses of a living person. To get back the ability to speak was especially important, as the deceased would need it at the Weighing of they needed to speak to the