Egyptian Mummification
The burial process has drastically changes over the years and varies depending on religious preference. The Egyptians began intentionally mummifying the wealthy and famous around 2600 B.C. to ensure they had a nice quality of life in the afterworld. Their religion believed that the body of the corpse was the house of the spirit; therefore it must be preserved, so they could have a place to live in the afterlife. This process took exactly seventy days to complete properly and could cost as much as sixty-six pounds of silver (Ancient Egyptian Mummies). Special priests were involved in each step of the process.
This tedious and trying process began with a special hook being jabbed up the nostril of the wealthy pharaoh to destroy the brain which was then poured and pulled out of the nose. The …show more content…
The priests, along with family members, friends, servants and professional mourners lined up behind the coffin which was pulled by oxen to the tomb (Ancient Egyptian Mummies). The guests carried gifts that they felt the spirit could use in the afterlife to be placed in the tomb. Once the tomb had been filled with everything the spirit needed to succeed in the afterworld, the final ceremony was the opening of the mouth. This ceremony was performed by the priest and supposedly gave the spirit the ability to come to life. He or she could begin to talk, eat, and move with the simple touch of the priest’s hand to the mummy’s mouth. Then the tomb was sealed and the onlookers could only hope that their loved one would make it into the afterlife. The spirit would be judged by forty-two spiritual assessors as he pleaded his case of living a righteous life on earth. Then his heart would be weighed against a feather by the king of the nether world, Osiris. If this proved his or her righteousness, he or she would be allowed to enter the afterworld. If the heart was too heavy, it would have to roam the earth for
The burial process has drastically changes over the years and varies depending on religious preference. The Egyptians began intentionally mummifying the wealthy and famous around 2600 B.C. to ensure they had a nice quality of life in the afterworld. Their religion believed that the body of the corpse was the house of the spirit; therefore it must be preserved, so they could have a place to live in the afterlife. This process took exactly seventy days to complete properly and could cost as much as sixty-six pounds of silver (Ancient Egyptian Mummies). Special priests were involved in each step of the process.
This tedious and trying process began with a special hook being jabbed up the nostril of the wealthy pharaoh to destroy the brain which was then poured and pulled out of the nose. The …show more content…
The priests, along with family members, friends, servants and professional mourners lined up behind the coffin which was pulled by oxen to the tomb (Ancient Egyptian Mummies). The guests carried gifts that they felt the spirit could use in the afterlife to be placed in the tomb. Once the tomb had been filled with everything the spirit needed to succeed in the afterworld, the final ceremony was the opening of the mouth. This ceremony was performed by the priest and supposedly gave the spirit the ability to come to life. He or she could begin to talk, eat, and move with the simple touch of the priest’s hand to the mummy’s mouth. Then the tomb was sealed and the onlookers could only hope that their loved one would make it into the afterlife. The spirit would be judged by forty-two spiritual assessors as he pleaded his case of living a righteous life on earth. Then his heart would be weighed against a feather by the king of the nether world, Osiris. If this proved his or her righteousness, he or she would be allowed to enter the afterworld. If the heart was too heavy, it would have to roam the earth for