However, HowardĬarter, who made the discovery, died 16 years after the expedition. He thenĭied of blood poisoning, making some people fear the curses. The Curse of Tutankhamen TombĮxpedition, which resulted in the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen. The curses scared some of the archeologists who excavated some Egyptian tombs. However, stopped the robbers from breaking into the tomb shortly after burial. Another method was building a false burial chamber. The block or blocks were then let down and jammed into place, once One or several portcullis blocks, set into grooves at the side of the tombĮntrance. One common security device was constructing Some mummies are made of a few corpses’ limbs, showing the embalmers did not necessarily believe in the afterlife. Even the harsh death penalty could not change the situation. The curses cast in tombs, and the security devices never stopped the robbers. Since the Badarian Period, i.e., around 4400 to 4000 B.C., tomb robbery existed. Normal people, who thought of all the wealth in the tombs as booty. These mummies were made mainly in HellenisticĮgypt when Egypt was ruled by the Greeks. The head of an old woman, the body of a child, and the legs Thus, many strange mummies were createdįrom different parts of different corpses. Some Egyptians believed the afterlife was
KINGDOM OF THE DEAD TOMBS SERIES
This is a transcript from the video series The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World. An industry of this size always attracts thieves, who need to be non-believers first. However, the numerous shabtis used in the tombs were of identical size and figure, suggesting that they were made in large quantities. There is not much information on how the industry was run. The other workers related to the death industry. Mummified, as were the pharaohs, the embalmers had much more to do, and so did Mass Production for the Realm of the Dead Learn more about practicing Egyptian religion. Hence, the death market grew significantly in size. Only pharaohs were believed to be connected with Osiris and gaining afterlife Īfter that, normal people were also mummified to resurrect and enter the afterlife. He would pass through the underworld every evening, bringing light to the realm, just like the sun. He was the creator of the universe and the source of life in the afterlife.
If the dead needed to do some work in the afterlife, the shabti could do it for them.Īnother god involved in the other realm was Ra. Thus, Egyptians made shabtis – small figures of Osiris and buried these with the dead. There were various beliefs about what happens after death, but the majority believed that the dead would become Osiris. (Image: George Nazmi Bebawi/Shutterstock) Gods Involved in the Afterlife The dead needed guidebooks and spells to pass the gate of the underworld and enter the new life. If the newcomer passed the test, they would join the akhu – the blessed dead that can grant some wishes to their praying relatives. A female monster with the head of a crocodile, the foreparts of a lion, and the back legs of a hippopotamus was waiting behind him to eat the newcomer if they failed the test.Īfter the negative confessions, the heart would be weighed against a feather representing Maat, signifying truth and harmony. The statements were written down by the divine scribe, Thoth. The test was called “negative confession”, in which the dead person had to deny wrongdoings. Osiris performedĪ test to find out if the newly dead person is good and just, as himself.
What to do when facing Osiris, the god of death, and rebirth. The obstacles on the way to the afterlife. The book was a collection of hymns, spells, and instructions that helped the dead pass through (Image: Matthew Laird Acred/Shutterstock) The Book of the Dead How was this new life in the underworld? Entering the underworld and beginning the afterlife was not granted to all the dead. They prepared the dead to successfully enter the new realm, starting by mummifying. They believed that the dead come to life in the underworld, and can live there away from diseases. By Robert Garland P.h.D., Colgate University The afterlife in ancient Egypt was the eternal comfort in life that Egyptians looked for.
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