| They believed at death
the body went to the "Next World" which was a land filled with comfort
and happiness. Egyptians believed that the deceased were made up
of five elements: Ka, Ba, Akh, Name, and Shadow. Ba was the soul of a person,
Ka and Ba were united into one entity called Akh, and Name was the spirit
of individuality. Anubis, the god, opened the roads to the underworld,
and welcomed the dead to the afterlife.
A mummy is a preserved
body. Mummification is also the name applied to the preservation
of bodies. Before bodies were wrapped in fine linen they were embalmed.
Embalming was necessary before a person could enter the afterlife.
It took fifteen days to wrap a body and prepare it for burial. Bodies
were buried with their most valuable jewelry, personal belongings, and
some were buried with a variety of food. Slaves were often entombed
with their owners. |
