In ancient Egypt, a funeral was not simply a funeral.

It was a big performance with many different parts: elaborate rituals, mummification, massive tombstones, and magic spells. The afterlife was a serious matter because everybody wanted to go to the Field of Reeds.

A funeral ceremony was thought of every bit a manner to join the physical world to the eternal globe and the afterlife.

The Field Of Reeds

In the Field of Reeds, sometimes too chosen The Field of Offerings, there's no suffering; only pleasure, infinitely.

Ancient Egyptian Burial Practices

Death was not the stop, but the beginning of the journey into afterlife and to enter the Field of Reeds, it'southward essential to discover the proper funeral practices.

Ancient Egyptians believed that the soul was divided into ix parts:

  1. Khat – The trunk
  2. Ka – a doppelganger
  3. Baa human-avian conduit between heaven and earth
  4. Shuyeta shadow cocky
  5. Akha transformed immortal cocky
  6. Sahuoffice of Akh
  7. Sechempart of Akh
  8. Abthe source of expert and evil, the heart
  9. Rena hole-and-corner name

After collecting the Akh, the god Anubis would guide the soul to the Hall of Truth where it would exist judged by Osiris, the Gauge of the Dead, and Ruler of the Underworld.

Osiris would weigh the Ab, "the heart" of the soul against the Feather of Ma'at on a grand scale of gold.

If it's heavier, the soul would be punished. If it'south lighter, the soul would exist further investigated by the 42 Judges and the gods. Simply worthy souls would enter the Field of Reeds.

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Mourning And Lamentations

Mourning was a meaning aspect of aboriginal Egyptian funeral practices. The louder, the improve.

In the households of the elites, there would be screaming and wailing as the people mourn the passing of the main or mistress.

In grandiose glasses of grief, women would, after smearing their heads and faces with mud, accept to the streets and round up their relatives and friends. They would beat on their exposed breasts and grieve in public.

Lamentation was essential in a successful funeral. During the ceremony, professional mourners known every bit the "Kites of Nephthys" would be employed to perform "The Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys".

Egyptians believed that these outpourings of grief could reach the Hall of Truth where the soul faced judgment.

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Mummies And Coffins

The body, the Khat, of the dead was considered a function of the soul; it had to be preserved and cached according to strict religious regulations.

To program for the funeral, the family would transport the corpse to the embalmers. From the embalming procedure to the grade of coffins, in that location would be different grades.

Ancient Egyptian Burial Practices

For more wealthy folks, more expensive ingredients, similar palm wine and pure myrrh, were used in the preservation procedure. Removal of the organs was more intricate, involving complex surgery.

Non all aboriginal Egyptians could afford to mummify the dead.

The body would so be covered in natron, the sacred salt. After seventy days, information technology would be wrapped in linen, held together with gum.

For poorer folks, new linens were too costly, so they had to apply their sometime dress for mummification. The wealthy would society a sarcophagus to encase the coffin, but the poor would be buried in the simplest graves.

Information technology's as well a common do for early Egyptians to place their near valuable possessions in the coffin, so they could "savour" these things in the Field of Reeds. Along with other religious objects, "The Book of the Dead", an ancient Egyptian funerary text, would also be placed in the coffin.

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The Opening Of The Mouth Ceremony

The Opening of the Oral fissure ceremony would exist performed past a priest or the son of the deceased, who would typically be clothed in leopard skin. Selected spells from "The Volume of the Dead" would be recited and a dogie would be sacrificed.

Ancient Egyptian Burial Practices

Throughout the ceremony, "The Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys" could be heard. When the body arrived at the entrance of the tomb, the priest would touch the mouth or confront of the dead with his hand.

In an early Egyptian funeral, the Opening of the Oral cavity was significant considering information technology "opened" the senses of the spirit of the expressionless to savor offerings of food and drink. Reincarnated every bit an Akh, the dead could then join the funeral feast with the mourners.

After the meal, the expressionless would journey to the Hall of Truth.

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