Essay About Mummification

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Egyptians believed that there were six vital parts that made up a person. Each of these parts were necessary in the journey from the physical world to that of the afterlife—the phenomenon of mummification is based off of this desire to preserve the important fragments of a person. The six main portions were the body, shadow, name, Ka (spirit), Ba (personality), and Akh (immortality). In order to ensure the Ka traveled safely to the afterlife, statues of the Ka were molded out of clay and put into the tomb with its owner’s body. The Ka had the same needs and desires as the person as it embodied the soul. The Ka was buried with food, drink, and other offerings that it would need in the afterlife to be comfortable. Like the Ka, other clay statues were often put into the tomb with the body. These statues were representative of magical servants who would take on any task that the person needed help with in the afterlife or journey to the afterlife. The Ba or personality entered the person’s body at birth and left with the person’s death. The Ba could easily move between the spirit and real world taking on various forms as it journeyed. Many believed that the Ba would control the dream state of a person. The Akh was the most important factor in the moving on process for Ancient Egyptian people. The Akh would leave the person at death and join spirits in the under world and would in theory live forever. The person’s body was viewed as glue that held all of these factors together on the journey to the afterlife. Mummification assured people that their body would be prepared and preserved so they could journey into the afterlife. ("Egyptian Religion." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. MAS Ultra - School ... ... middle of paper ... ...ured for many that their loved ones survived the perilous journey through the Duat and reached paradise. The preparation of the body for this quest was vital because the physical body was the glue the held together all of the other important pieces of the human—shadow, name, Ka (spirit), Ba (personality), and Akh (immortality). Understanding the process of mummification also gives us further insight as to the importance of the afterlife in the culture of these people. Book of the dead Field study Earth was heaven to them and as a process they sought to journey to heaven by way of mummification. There was a class element to this; only pharos were expected to return to a status of wealth and power. Hence the process of Egyptian mummification took on both spiritual and scientific aspects. The process was so specific so there would be no error when making

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