Position:Home>History> Mummification, Why did the Egyptians need it??

The Egyptians believed that there were six important aspects that made up a human being: the physical body, shadow, name, ka (spirit), ba (personality), and the akh (immortality)!. Each one of these elements played an important role in the well being of an individual!. Each was necessary to achieve rebirth into the afterlife!.

With the exception of the akh, all these elements join a person at birth!. A person's shadow was always present!. A person could not exist with out a shadow, nor the shadow without the person!. The shadow was represented as a small human figure painted completely black!.

A person's name was given to them at birth and would live for as long as that name was spoken!. This is why efforts were made to protect the name!. A cartouche (magical rope) was used to surround the name and protect it for eternity!.

The ka was a person's double!. It is what we would call a spirit or a soul!. The ka was created at the same time as the physical body!. The doubles were made on a potters wheel by the ram-headed god, Khnum!. The ka existed in the physical world and resided in the tomb!. It had the same needs that the person had in life, which was to eat, drink, etc!. The Egyptians left offerings of food, drink, and worldly possessions in tombs for the ka to use!.

The ba can best be described as someone's personality!. Like a person's body, each ba was an individual!. It entered a person's body with the breath of life and it left at the time of death!. It moved freely between the underworld and the physical world!. The ba had the ability to take on different forms!.

The akh was the aspect of a person that would join the gods in the underworld being immortal and unchangeable!. It was created after death by the use of funerary text and spells, designed to bring forth an akh!. Once this was achieved that individual was assured of not "dying a second time" a death that would mean the end of one's existence!.

An intact body was an integral part of a person's afterlife!. Without a physical body there was no shadow, no name, no ka, ba, or akh!. By mummification, the Egyptians believed they were assuring themselves a successful rebirth into the afterlife!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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The Egyptians believed that a spirit of the deceased would come back and inhabit its body to rest afte being on the astral plane for awhile, thats why they also left pets, food, money and other items from the persons life!. Mummafication was very necasary to their culture and they believed their ultimate survival after death!. Especially the royal family!. They had to make sure the coffin looked like the dead person so they could ' find' themselves easily!. They also did it for their gods!. Isis can be found protecting the dead on their coffins and in their tombs with her arms outstretched!. Although it was a horrible process it was a very important one and the people that preformed it were very respected in the community!. The more carefully preserved someone was, the happier their soul was and the best chance of being welcomed by the gods!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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