Funerary customs and beliefs in ancient Egypt from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to highlight the Egyptians' perception of death and their perception of death and their preparations to the hereafter, from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom. In doing so, I sought to emphasise the importance this people gave to this phenomenon, through their beliefs and customs, during the specified period. This reveals a great deal about the Egyptians' overwhelming desire to secure and perpetuate in the afterlife the "good life" enjoyed on earth, regardless of their social status. Egyptian culture was an ancient one, with traditions reaching back to the start of history. Along with the Sumerians, the Egyptian deliver our earliest - though by no means primitive - evidence of human thought. As far back as the third millennium BC, the Egyptians were concerned with questions that remain unanswered even today - questions about being and nonbeing, about the meaning of death and about the essence of time. Some of these questions will be explored in this essay. Section one discusses the beliefs of the Egyptians regarding life after death. Section two discusses the funerary literature from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom. This reveals a great deal more about their vision of the netherworld and what they expected to find there. Section three discusses the various types of archaeological evidence such as tombs, mummies, iconography and artefacts in relation with the Egyptian obsession of death. The final section discusses the Egyptians' traditions and rituals when it comes to burying their king or a family member. This also gives us an idea of the journey the deceased undertakes, from the moment he dies till he achieves his ever-aspired heaven. The following brief introduction to Egyptians' religion gives a better understanding of Egyptian thoughts and beliefs.