The New and the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt Essay

Submitted By RobinBomb
Words: 588
Pages: 3

The New and the Old In a comparison between the rituals and burial practices of Egypt’s Old Kingdom and
New Kingdom, I can see that the greatest flux within the two revolve around the difference of tombs, the mummification process, and the strengthening in superstition.

In the Old Kingdom of Egypt, between 2650 BC and 2134 BC, there was a leap in the complexity in tomb construction. The pharaoh, Djoser, was the first to order a more intricate design for his burial chamber and the mastaba that it was built in. This decision led to the creation of the Step Pyramid and then into the later creation of the tallest and most famous pyramids we know today. The mummification process was little understood in this age. The
Egyptians practices in the ritual weren’t what we remember as the extraction of the organs. At this time, when the mummification process began, the dead would be wrapped in a special type of cloth then they would bury them in a shallow grave in the desert to dry out the body and organs within. Superstitions were regarded under the attitude about the dead, but never taken any further. It wasn’t until later that superstitions increased around the living and their connection with the dead. In the New Kingdom of Egypt, between 1550 BC and 1070 BC, the mystique of creating these massive monuments for tombs had passed, the empire fluxing in the power of the pharaoh and the place held above the people. After the build of the great pyramids we know and love today, the kingdoms of Egypt faltered and never again did a pharaoh have built a mountainous monument in his image. The mummification process lept forward in the act of removing the organs from the dead. This made for less decay and greater preservation in the mummification process. As I understand it, they were also with knowledge of near perfect preservation even with some organs remaining in the body. This was seen in a documentary about two regular middle­class Egyptians in the ancient days. Proceeding to superstition, it was noted in the World Civilizations textbook that oracles were introduced and became an important part in the Egyptian religious beliefs and practices so that the people could communicate with their gods. By this time, as well, the journey to the afterlife was