Religious Beliefs

Egyptian Creation Story Believed that the earth was created when a hill emerged from the waters of chaos. This made sense to them because they often saw islands of mud appearing in the Nile, especially during the flood season.

Atum The creator-god emerged from the waters standing on this hill. The “perfect one” Self-begotten Ejected from himself: Shu - the air Tefenet - the moisture

Next… Atum separated the sky from the earth Geb = the earth Nut = the sky Geb and Nut joined and had children: The gods Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys These gods formed the first level in the hierarchy of gods.

Beliefs About Birth Believed infants were created on a potter’s wheel by the god Khnum and then placed in their mother’s womb.

Duplicates For each human crafted on the potter’s wheel by Khmun, a spiritual duplicate was made. The duplicate was called the ka. Ka was stored in the heart. Upon death, the ka separated from the body and inhabited the person’s tomb. Like the living body from which it came, the ka needed food, clothing, perfume, and furniture - things commonly found in Egyptian tombs.

The “ba” A person’s character or personality. Entered the body at birth and left the body at death. Depicted as a bird with a human head.

The “akh” The form a person took in the afterlife. This transformation took place through a ritual where magical spells were said over the mummy.

The Afterlife Saw the afterlife as a duplication of the best moments on Earth. Believed they would be involved in activities they most enjoyed, such as fishing, hunting, sailing, and feasting. Death not an end, but a beginning.

Preparation for Afterlife Amount of preparation varied according to social status. Two requirements for everyone: Body must be preserved in lifelike form. Deceased must be provided with items necessary for afterlife. Royal tombs held large food supplies, furniture, tools, weapons, clothes, jewelry, and games.These things sustained the ka.

Burial Practices Earliest people to settle in the Nile Valley buried their dead in pit-graves, which were dug in the hot desert sands. The dry sand absorbed the bodily fluids and kept the body from decaying.

Pit Grave

As Egyptian burials became more elaborate, the bodies were placed in lined tombs. Bodies decomposed because there was no sand to keep them dry. This brought about the need to duplicate what nature had done naturally. This is how the process of mummification began.

At First… Bodies were simply wrapped in resin-soaked linens to preserve a lifelike form, but the body still decayed. Eventually, developed a more complex process that prevented the body from decaying. Lengthy and expensive; therefore only performed on members of royalty and the nobility. Became so extensive that a number of jobs were created for the process.

Herodotus Greek historian who first wrote about embalming process of mummification in 450 BCE. Anubis - Egyptian god of death and embalming, represented by a jackal. Priest presiding over process uttered chants and prayers and wore a jackal mask to represent Anubis.

Mummification Process First, the body was delivered to the embalming shop, known as the per nefer. Chief priest who wore the jackal mask was known as the hery seshta. Assistants who helped wrap the body were known as wetyu.

Step Two The deceased was placed on an embalming board.