Egyptian Religion
Religion played a central role in the life of ancient Egypt. The Pharaoh was considered a descendent of gods, and therefore a deity himself. People were dedicated to their gods, and worshiped them daily. They trusted the goodness of the gods and of their divine son, the king. Every event had spiritual meaning. As Pharaohs grew more powerful they built splendid temples for their gods, with decorations on the walls, stone and wooden statues, and works of art with precious materials. As the Egyptian religion grew, priests became more and more influential in Egyptian society, to the point that in some periods of history they governed the country together with the pharaoh.
Magical texts were also written in tombs to protect the dead against would-be robbers. Magical spells and religious rituals were also used to treat the sick or injured. If the magic did not work it was considered the will of the god, and not a failure of the magic.
Burying the dead was an important religious event in Egypt. The Egyptians believed in the existence of the life-force that they called Ka. The Ka occupied and accompanied the body throughout life. After death the Ka left the body to take its place in the kingdom of the dead. The Ka, however, could not exist without the body; therefore every effort had to be made to preserve the corpse. For this reason bodies were embalmed and mummified according to traditional methods. Also, wood or stone replicas of the body were put into the tomb in case the mummy was destroyed. The greater the number of statue-duplicates in one's tomb, the more chances the dead person had of resurrection. As a final protection, elaborate tombs, built in stone, were put up to protect the dead body. Egyptians believed that after arriving in the kingdom of the dead, the Ka was judged by Osiris, the king of the dead, and by his assistants. The dead person's heart was weighed against a feather (Maat), to see if they had been as pure during their lifetime. If the judges decided that the dead person had been a sinner, the Ka was condemned to hunger and thirst. If the decision was favorable, the Ka went to the heavenly realm that was described as an improved version of life on earth.
Magical texts were also written in tombs to protect the dead against would-be robbers. Magical spells and religious rituals were also used to treat the sick or injured. If the magic did not work it was considered the will of the god, and not a failure of the magic.
Burying the dead was an important religious event in Egypt. The Egyptians believed in the existence of the life-force that they called Ka. The Ka occupied and accompanied the body throughout life. After death the Ka left the body to take its place in the kingdom of the dead. The Ka, however, could not exist without the body; therefore every effort had to be made to preserve the corpse. For this reason bodies were embalmed and mummified according to traditional methods. Also, wood or stone replicas of the body were put into the tomb in case the mummy was destroyed. The greater the number of statue-duplicates in one's tomb, the more chances the dead person had of resurrection. As a final protection, elaborate tombs, built in stone, were put up to protect the dead body. Egyptians believed that after arriving in the kingdom of the dead, the Ka was judged by Osiris, the king of the dead, and by his assistants. The dead person's heart was weighed against a feather (Maat), to see if they had been as pure during their lifetime. If the judges decided that the dead person had been a sinner, the Ka was condemned to hunger and thirst. If the decision was favorable, the Ka went to the heavenly realm that was described as an improved version of life on earth.
Mummification:
The earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the desert. The heat and dryness of the sand dehydrated the bodies quickly, creating lifelike and natural 'mummies'. Later, the ancient Egyptians began burying their dead in coffins to protect them from wild animals in the desert. However, they realized that bodies placed in coffins decayed when they were not exposed to the hot, dry sand of the desert. Over many centuries, the ancient Egyptians developed a method of preserving bodies so they would remain lifelike. The process included embalming the bodies and wrapping them in strips of linen. Today we call this process mummification.