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EGYPT MUMMIES AND PYRAMIDS
INTRODUCTION The Egyptians believed in an afterlife, a life that would continue after death. Their belief was so strong and important to the people that great preparation was made for death and burial. Pyramid building was one part of this preparation. Another part was the preparation of the body itself.
HOUSES OF ETERNITY: MASTABAS Early Egyptians buried people in holes in the desert, and poor people were buried in this way throughout Egiptian civilization. But pharahos and nobles were laid to rest in tombs that would last forever and show the world their glory. The first royal tombs were called mastabas. These were low, rectangular mud-brick buildings, with a burial chamber built beneath them.
THE STEP PYRAMID Around 2650 BC, an architect called Imhotep made a new kind of tomb for the pharaoh Zoser. He built several stone mastabas on top of each other, each one slightly smaller than the last. This made an impressive shape, known as a step pyramid. Soon, all kings were buried inside towering pyramids. Thepyramidisabout 60 metres high and itssides are more than 100 metres in lenght
SNEFERUS STEP PYRAMID Kings who came after Zoser also wanted to be buried in pyramids. King Sneferu had a step pyramid built at Meidum raising to 92 metres in height. Then, for some unknown reason, the pyramid was abandoned and Snefuru built another at Dashur (the Bent Pyramid).
BENT PYRAMID When the Egyptians first tried to make a pyramid with straight sides instead of steps, they made the sides too steep. They tried to correct this by making them less steep at the top, but this left the pyramid looking a little strange. It became known as the Bent Pyramid. It´s 105 metres high and wasbuiltabout 2600 BC.
THE RED PYRAMID Sneferu planned another pyramid, also at Dashur. This is the Red Pyramid (also known as the North Pyramid). The builders got the angle right this time, and the sides slope gently to a point. It was the first “true” pyramid. It´s 104 metres high, and itssides are 220 metres long. Itwasfinished in 2589.
THE GIZA PYRAMIDS Egypt´s most famous pyramids are at Giza. Giza was a necropolis (a burial ground) where three of ancient Egypt´s most famous kings were buried in pyramids. They were members of the same family: Khafre, Khufu and Menkaure (father, son and grandson).
THE PYRAMIDE BUILDERS People used to think the pyramids were built by slaves who were treated harshly, but the workers were actually free men. They were paid by the pharaoh, and they were proud to be part of such an amazing achievement.
BUILDING A PYRAMID As well as the builders, a massive number of other people were needed to provide all the stone, feed the workers and transport the blocks from the quarry to the building site. This was such a huge effort of organization that building the pyramids helped to transform Egypt into a powerful and efficient country.
STAGE BY STAGE Building a pyramidwasanincrediblycomplicatedjob, and theworkwas done slowly and carefully, in manydifferentstages. Forthebiggestpyramides, thewholeprocesscouldtakeover 20 yearsto complete. Workmendraggedtheblokstoboats, whictookthemdowntherivertothepyramidsite Anarchitectmadeplans and builtmodelsto show tothepharaoh As thepyramidgrew, theworkmenhauledthebloks up hugerampsstuddedwithwoodenrollers Therampsweregradually removed, and a layer of gleamingpolishedstonewasadded Largebloks of stonewerecarvedfromquarrieswithmallets and chisels
TOMB ROBBERS The last thing the kings of ancient Egypt wanted was for their tombs to be broken into. But it was impossible to hide a pyramid. Despite all the blocked passageways and hidden entrances, thieves got in and stole the contents.
VALLEY OF THE KINGS Pyramidsweren´tperfectresting places afterall, and forthisreason a new type of tombwasneeded. Pharaos of the New Kingdom (around 1550 to 1070 BC) wereburied in tombscutintotheside of a remote valleyinstead. It´scalledtheValley of the Kings.
THE DISCOVERY OF THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMUN The most famous Egyptian tomb of all was built for Tutankhamun, the boy king who died when was not much more than 18 years old. Over 3000 years passed. Most Egyptian royal tombs were ransacked by robbers, leaving only fragments of the treasures. But in 1922, a British archaeologist named Howard Carter was searching the Valley of the Kings. He had almost given up hope of finding anything new when he found the tomb of Tutankhamon.
LIFE AFTER DEATH The mummies were made because Egyptians thought that the dead needed their bodies in a new life after death. They believed a person would life forever in paradise, but only if their body was saved.
ANUBIS DEITY OF THE DEAD An image from the Book of the Dead on a wall in the tomb of Twosret and Setnakhte. Anubis, the jackal-headed guardian deity of the dead, prepares a mummy. Four canopic jars await internal organs.
THE EGYPTIAN SOUL In Egyptian mythology, the human soul is made up of five parts: the Ka, the Ba, the Akh, the Sheut, and the Ren. During life, the soul, including those of animals, and of gods, was thought to inhabit a body (named the Ha, meaning flesh).
EMBALMING PROCESS The brain was usually extracted through the nose and discarded, (since it was thougth only to be the origin of mucus). The heart was left inside the body, since it was thought to embody the soul. The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines were embalmed and stored in four canopic jars that were left in the tomb.
THE CANOPIC JARS The canopic jars were the representation of the four sons of Horus. They are funerary gods and protect the mummified organs of corpses, kept in four different canopic jars. Hapi in baboon form, protected the lungs and was protected by Nephthys. Duamutefwasthegodwhoprotectedthestomach and smallintestines. He wasassociatedwiththejackalNeithandwasprotecdbyNeith. Imseti in human form, protected the liver and was protected by Isis Qebehsenuef in hawk form, protected the large intestines and was protected by Serket.
CEREMONY OF OPENING OF THE MOUTH The ritual involved the symbolic animation of a statue or mummy by magically opening its mouth so that it could breathe and speak. The ritual gives the deceased drink and food. After the ceremony, the pharaoh is placed in a sarcophagus (a large stone or wood box which the coffin in placed for burial). Furniture, works of art, and valuable objects are placed in with pharaoh. And then the pharaoh is off on it's journey in the underworld.
FUNERARY TEXTS Many mummies were provided with some form of funerary literature to take with them to the afterlife. Most funerary literature consists of lists of spells and instructions for navigating the afterlife.
STELA OF FALSE DOOR In tombs and temples for the dead there were niches for offerings, the back walls of which were given the form of doors. They served as a pathway between the living and the dead by which the Ka and the other spiritual parts of the deceased could communicate with the world of the living. The nourishment that was offered to the dead, could be real food placed on an offering slab or symbolic food carved into a stela.
PRESENTS FOR THE DEAD All Egyptians were buried with at least some burial goods that they thought were necessary after death. At a minimum, these usually consisted of everyday objects such as bowls, combs, and other trinkets, along with food. Wealthier Egyptians could afford to be buried with jewelry, furniture, and other valuables, which made them targets of tomb robbers.
USHABTIS Ushabtis were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as substitutes for the deceased, should he be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife Most ushabtis were of minor size, and many produced in multiples – they sometimes covered the floor around a sarcophagus.
