Transcript When a person had died he was taken to the

TN State Standard
• TN 6.18
• Site evidence from informational texts
to explain the polytheistic religion of
ancient Egypt with respect to beliefs
about death, the afterlife,
mummification, and the roles of
different deities.
Life after Death
• The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife of
beauty, peace, and contentment.
• Since most of their lives were filled with hard
work, they looked forward to death as a release
from this lifetime.
• They believed their souls would need to use
their bodies again, so the Egyptians invented a
process to embalm their bodies called
mummification.
• Wealthy could afford better mummification than
the poor
Afterlife Myth
When a
person had
died he was
taken to the
Underworld.
His deeds in
life were
taken to the
Court of
Osiris for the
final
judgement.
Before
coming there
the dead
person had to
pass a
labyrinth of
gates and
doors and
answer
questions
correctly to
pass through.
Then god
Anubis took
him into the
courtroom
presenting
him the scale
where his
heart would
be put in
balance with
a feather.
The result
was
recorded
by Thoth the god of
writing and
wisdom.
Then Horus takes him in front of the
judge Osiris for the final verdict.
Behind the throne stand Isis and
Nephtys.
If the heart of
the deceased
wasn't too
heavy with sins
from his life on
Earth, he could
continue his
voyage to the
afterlife and
was granted a
plot of land in
the "Field of
the Reeds”.
If he failed the test on the other hand - his
heart was immediately devoured by the
beast Ammut sitting under the scale He
was denied an eternal life in the land in the
West and his soul would be restless forever.
The “Field of
Reeds” was
the paradise
for the
ancient
Egyptians to grow
crops for
eternity in a
land that
was the very
image of the
Nile Valley
they just had
left.
Steps in Mummification
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After the body was washed and covered with scented oils, the
liver and kidneys were removed and placed in jars that would be
put in the coffin later.
The brains were removed carefully, but the heart was left in the
body because they believed it was the mind and would be
needed immediately in the next life.
Then the body was wrapped in either linen or rough cotton
strips and a sticky tar-like mixture was poured over the cloth
strips forming a protective outer covering for the body.
When the mixture hardened, the mummy was placed in a
wooden coffin, which was carved and painted to resemble a
person.
Then the mummy was laid in its tomb, along with many objects
the Egyptians thought it would need for daily use in the next
lifetime, such as tools, jewelry, furniture, religious statues, and
food.
Mummification Process
Egyptian Gods
Man with hawk head and headdress with a sun disk
Ra was the sun god. He was the most important god of the
ancient Egyptians.
The ancient Egyptians believed that Ra was swallowed every
night by the sky goddess Nut, and was reborn every morning.
A mummified man wearing a white cone-like headdress
with feathers
Osiris was the god of the dead, and ruler of the
underworld.
Man with the head of a hawk
Horus was a god of the sky. He is probably most wellknown as the protector of the ruler of Egypt.
The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the 'living
Horus'.
Man with a jackal head
Anubis was the god of embalming and the dead.
Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient
Egyptians believed thatAnubis watched over the dead.
Woman with headdress in the shape of a throne
Isis was a protective goddess. She used powerful magic
spells to help people in need.
Isis was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus.
Woman with the ears of a cow
With a headdress of horns and a sun disk.
Hathor was a protective goddess. She was also the
goddess of love and joy.
Hathor was the wife of Horus, and was sometimes thought
of as the mother of the pharaoh.
Nut
• The Sky
• She and her brother, Geb (the earth),
could not stop “holding hands” so now
their father (Shu – air) stands between
them holding them apart.
Bes
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Popular, household god
Dwarf
Very small - ugly
Frightens evil spirits away
Roman soldiers wore
amulets with his likeness
for protection
Hapy
• God of the Nile floods
• Keeps the land and river
fertile
• He has long hair and a
protruding stomach (all
symbols of fertility) and also
a beard and is blue
• In some areas, he was
worshipped over Ra
Set
• God of evil, the desert,
storms, and chaos
• A devil figure
• Hates Osiris (jealous)
• Kills Osiris and becomes
king before he is killed by
Horus
• Part pig and part donkey