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People believed that a new life began when a person died. The mummy’s soul, the ba, and his invisible twin, the ka, were released from the mummy’s body and lived in a tomb. This is why the Ancient Egyptians built nice tombs. In order for a person to live forever, the ba (soul) and the ka (invisible twin) had to recognize the body or they could not return to it. That is why the body was preserved or mummified.
People would cover the mummy with a mask that looked like the dead person so that the ba and the ka would be able to recognize it. People painted inside and outside of the coffin with gods and goddesses. They made jewelry and furniture that were buried in the tomb. They also used splendid stone to hold up the coffin. Statues of the dead person could also be found in the tomb. A collection of spells called "The Book of the Dead" was buried with the mummy. The spells were written on scrolls of papyrus. They were to help the dead find their afterlife. Did you know that the first Egyptian to be mummified is the god Osiris? To learn more about why Osiris was the first to be mummified, read our story of Osiris and Isis. |
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