Death, the cause of grief and sorrow. The pain of losing a loved one. That is what death means to most today. Ever wondered what death meant to the people of the ancient civilisations then?

The ancient Egyptians felt that death in one world was the beginning of life in another world. But in order to enjoy that life, the Egyptians believed that their bodies must be preserved -- for, although the soul left the body at death, it was expected to return to it throughout eternity. All Egyptians who could afford to were embalmed, but the embalmers exercised special care in the death of a pharaoh. So how were the pharaohs embalmed?

Here are the steps to embalming a pharaoh.
P.S. Don't try this at home!

Step one: Remove some of the pharaoh's internal organs and fill the body with sweet smelling spices.
Step two: Cover the body with a white powder called "natron," bags of which were also wrapped around the head. (Natron was a drying agent, rather like salt, and the body was left in it for several days, until all the moisture had been removed.)
Step three: Wash the embalmed and dried body -- now called a "mummy", treat it with perfumed oils, and wrap it in linen bandages. Place a mask over the face of the mummy and wrap it once more. Step four: Bury it!

But before placing the body in the coffin, the last rites were performed. In this ritual, a priest, wearing the mask of the jackal-headed god, Anubis, touched the lips of the masked mummy with a special tool to open the mouth. This symbolic gesture was done to grant the dead man the power to eat and speak in the next life. The mummy was then placed in a series of coffins, one fitting inside the next. And, in an elaborate burial ceremony, the coffin was placed in a tomb stocked with food, clothing, cosmetics, furniture ... everything the pharaoh might need to enjoy his or her afterlife. The tomb also contained statues and paintings of servants, who were believed to come alive when certain prayers were recited, thus extending their service to the pharaoh even into the next world.

The Greeks believed that when a person dies, his or her vital breath or psyche left the body to enter the palace of Hades, the king of the dead. The dead were buried in single graves, which were either stoned lined or plain pits dug in the ground. The bodies of the dead were either cremated first before burial or buried intact. Along with the dead were buried gifts such as vessels with food and drinks. Other gifts included weapons such as knives and tools for the men, jewellery, clothes and spindle-whorls for the women and finally toys for the children.

For the ancient Chinese, they believed when a person dies, they would be reincarnated into either humans again, or animals such as dogs and pigs, depending on how well they had behaved when they were alive. For instance, the good were believed to be reborn as human beings into rich and prominent families, while the evil were either reborn as humans who led lives full of hardships or as animals. Thus, the people made many preparations for there next lives by doing as much good to others as they could and also worshipped their ancestors to seek their advice through priests, diviners and objects such as oracle bones. The dead were buried together with their possessions such as jewellery and clothes, which were believed to follow them in their next life. For the dead emperors of ancient China, even the queens and concubines were sacrificed and buried along with the emperors to accompany them to the next life!

Today, some of the ways of "treating" the dead include embalming the dead, cremation, burials underground and water burials. The modern way of embalming the dead is very much different form the Egyptians though, the blood is drained from the body and replaced by a solution of formaldehyde in water, called Formalin. Cavity fluid is removed and replaced with a preservative of Formalin mixed with alcohols, emulsifiers, and other substances. To make the body look more realistic, cosmetics and other substances are customarily also applied to visible parts of the body.

Cremation is pracitised by a lot people today, as it has been in the past by the Greeks and the Hindus of ancient India. However, many religious groups have scorned the use of cremation.

Water burial is probably the least common form of burial and perhaps, not known to some people around the world. It is a form of burial in which the bodies of heroes were cast adrift in boats. In the South Pacific it was a custom to place the body in a canoe and to launch it on the water. In the Western society, water burial is usually carried out for a person who has died at sea.

What are the other types of ways in which the dead are buried? Do you think the dead today are still buried together with their possessions or gifts of food and drinks? What are the different views towards death by people living in different parts of the world?

Burial ritual taking place

Oracle Bones used to tell the future.

The mummy itself, after being embalmed and wrapped in cloth, was also painted and decorated to resemble the person..

The lid of the mummy's coffin was painted with the features, dress, and ornaments of the individual encased within it. These measures were intended to preserve the personal identity of the deceased. The coffin lid, made in about 750 BC, is that of Djed-Hapi.