Funeral Customs of the Ancient Egyptians Flashcards
Egyptians believed that the sun was the center, the focus of the universe, from which all things emerged and to which they returned
Theology of sun-worship
God of the underworld and judge of the dead
Osiris
This would be allowed to pass into perpetual happiness
Justified Soul
This would pass into perpetual misery
Condemned soul
The death cycle
Circle of necessity
What is the circle of necessity
The resuscitation of the body with the soul after 3000 years
Through a continuous series of ritualistic actions, the reconstituted preserved body would reunite with the soul and pass into eternity
How many elements were believed to have been with the body in Ancient Egypt?
6
The soul or spirit is the
Ba
“The shining one”
The soul transported to the sun
Yakhu
Identity of the deceased
The name
Flesh and bones
The shadow
Intellect and emotions
The heart
Offerings to the dead
Prayers, jewels, etc
Ka
List all of the elements of the body
Ba Yakhu Name Shadow Heart Ka
This was a burial motive
The threat of the plague
Why was the plague a burial motive?
The egyptians believed that the by-products of putrefaction seeping into the soil would generate the plague
Bodies shrouded in coarse cloth and laid upon beds of charcoal under six to eight feet of sand, allowed to dehydrate, mummify naturally have undergone
Dry Burial
During which period did the practice of embalming peak
New Kingdom Period (1738-1102 B.C.)
Who is the father of recorded history
Herodotus
Who is another important historian who wrote about the time of Christ?
Diodorus Siculus
About how much of the population was the nobility, deserving the highest grade of embalming?
5%
What were the main steps in the Highest grade of embalming (for nobility)?
Evisceration Vatting Treatment of the Viscera (Canopic Jars) Wrapping and Jeweling of the body Encasement
What was used to cut into the body of the Ancient Egyptian Nobility for the evisceration process?
Black flint ceremonial knife called Ethiopian Stone
What kind of chemicals were used in the Vatting process?
Natron
What is Natron?
Equivalent of today’s pickle juice
Sodium salt solution like brine
What were the viscera placed in once they were removed and packed in spices?
Canopic Jars
What are the Canopic Jars?
Mestha
Hapi
Tuamutef
Qebhsennuf
The human head canopic jar
Mestha
The baboon head canopic jar
Hapi
The jackal head canopic jar
Tuamutef
The hawk head canopic jar
Qebhsennuf
What did Mestha protect?
Stomach and large intestines
What did Hapi protect?
Small Intestine
What did Tuamutef protect?
Lungs and heart