Burial Customs In Ancient Egypt

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Can you imagine planning your burial site or having your tomb constructed underneath cliffs of limestone as we speak? In today’s society, it is quite hard to picture a burial that consists of mummifying the body and burying it alongside its personal belongings in preparation for the afterlife.

However, this was a common occurrence in the traditions of the Ancient Egyptians. In particular, the 18th Dynasty, which consisted of years 1543-1292BC. This era saw pharaohs being buried in the Valley of the Kings. The 18th Dynasty belonged to a period of history in Egypt, labelled as the ‘New Kingdom’; a time period where some of the most notable pharaohs reigned under. In Egypt’s Old Kingdom, the pyramids of Giza and the Nile Delta were the locations selected for tombs. Conversely, the New Kingdom pharaohs wanted to be closer to the source of their dynastic roots in the south. Thus building their tombs in the hills of barren tract west of Luxor, in accordance to historian, Brian Handwerk. King Tutankhamun’s tomb is a prime example of the views towards religion and burial customs at the time. Tutankhamun began his reign in 1332 BC, towards the end of the 18th …show more content…

The Egyptian belief was that every person was believed to have three souls called the Ka, the Ba and the Akh. These three elements of the soul, were believed to be delicate and therefore at great risk. However, through processes of embalming, mummification, death rituals, funeral text, objects and magical spells this would ensure the preservation of Tutankhamun’s souls. It was the belief of the 18th Dynasty that if for some reason the body was unrecognisable or disturbed it could not enter the ‘desired’ afterlife. Thus, through the utilisation of these funeral rituals it would ensure a clear path to the afterlife for Tutankhamun to carry on his

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