Entire Civilization Of Ancient Egyptians example essay topic

The entire Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion; it guided every aspect of Egyptian Life. The Ancient Egyptian religion was based on polytheism, or the worship of many deities, except for during the reign of Akhenaton. They believed that death was a transitional stage to a better life in the next world. Osiris, the god of the Underworld, was responsible for making a peaceful and everlasting life possible. It was believed that when a person died, their soul left the body. The soul would then return and be reunited with the body after it was buried.

Since their religion stressed an afterlife, the Egyptians devoted much time and wealth to preparing for survival in the next world. This was done through a process called mummification. Ancient Egyptians are perhaps the best known mummy-makers. The process was of mummification began with the removal of the lounge, stomach, liver, and intestines though an abdominal incision on the left side of the body. The brain was then removed through the nose with an instrument called a brain hook. The heart, believed to be the source of thought, was left inside the body.

Once the organs were removed, the body was rinsed with wine in order to kill any remaining bacteria. It was then covered and packed with a form of natural salt, called natron. The body would then be left alone for a period of forty days. After forty days passed, the insides were filled with linen or sawdust, resin and natron.

To make sure the spirit could find the body, a restorative beautification process was necessary. The skin of the corpse would be massaged to make it supple, the body was stuffed and perfumed, and padding was slipped under the skin to approximate plump flesh. Finally, rouse and other paints were applied. The last step of the mummification process was to coat the mummy in warm resin and wrap it from head to foot in layer after layer of lined strips.

Jewelry and amulets would be placed between the layers. About one hundred and fifty yards-the length of one and a half football fields-were used. A portrait mask was placed over the head of the deceased by the chief embalmer, who wore a jackal mask to represent an ibis. The entire process took a period of seventy days. At the end of this process, the mummy was placed in a decorated coffin.

Furniture, carved statues, games, food, and other items useful for the next life were prepared to be buried with the mummy. The last ritual performed, called the "opening of the mouth", was performed by a priest. This ceremony was to magically give the deceased the ability to speak and eat again, and to have full used of the body. After placing the mummy in the sarcophagus, the tomb was sealed. Since the entire civilization of Ancient Egyptians was based on a religion of strong beliefs, the idea of rebirth after death became their driving force for engaging in these funeral practices..