The Tomb in Ancient Egypt
After the body was
properly prepared and mummified, it would be moved from the
embalming place to the tomb. The embalming was never done in the
tomb because it was considered an unclean process.
The procession from the
embalming place to the tomb would be lead by the mummified body.
Women would often cry and tear their clothes as they walked
toward the tombs. Many of these women would be professional
mourners hired by the family. Behind the mourners would be
funeral attendees who would often carry supplies and objects
which would be placed in the tomb for the deceased.
When the body was brought
into the tomb, the priest would perform a ritual ceremony known as
the "Opening of the Mouth." It was believed that your life force
rejoined your body after this ceremony. The spirit of the deceased
could now speak, eat, and drink. This ceremony is also credited with
magically giving the statues and wall paintings the ablity to
care for the needs of the dead man's spirit.
The
Original Tombs
The tombs were created to
provide the dead with the necessary supplies needed in the journey
of the afterlife. The tomb would be equipped with every day items
which the dead person would need, and was usually located on the
west side of the Nile. Inside the tombs clothing, jewelry, food, and
weapons were stored, all placed there as supplies for the afterlife.
The tomb also often included a statue of the person along with
detailed statues of servants, concubines and boats. These would help
the spirit of the deseased in their travel in the afterlife.
In addition to the material
in the tomb, the walls of the tomb where painted with scenes from
every day life. They believed that these paintings could be
magically evoked to supply the spirits with their needs in eternity.
The statue of the dececsed could act as a kind of substitute for the
spirit in case the body was damaged or destroyed. The statues of the
servants could all serve the dead person's spirit in the after life.
The dead were believed to
have the same needs as the living. A man's heir was expected to
bring food to the tomb daily to feed the dead person's "ka" or
spirit. Often this duty was neglected the decedents. The heir may
also hire a priest to take care of feeding the dead person's "ka."
These priests became know as a Ka servant and would often be given
large tracks of land to support their duties to the dead.
The Royal Tombs
The mastaba was the earliest and simplest tomb structure. It
consisted of a single elevated platform and was built of mud-brick.
These structures were not particularly elaborate and were not
decorated. In the 3rd dynasty (Old Kingdom) Imhotep built the
step pyramid (Fig. 1) for Zoser. This structure was the first
all stone monument and was, of course, the inspiration for the true
pyramids that followed, culminating into the pyramids of Giza, and
in particular the great pyramid of Khufu. |
