Egyptian Mummification

Throughout the study of Ancient Egyptian history and culture, mummies are probably one of the most recognizable features; but why did the Egyptians feel they needed to preserve the bodies of their kings and deceased? In order to enter the Egyptian construction of the afterlife, the body of the deceased must be prepared and preserved as a residence of the soul. The symbolism and process of this belief is firmly rooted into Egyptian culture and can be analyzed through the religious practices, the goods that accompany the deceased, and within the stages of mummification itself. The uses of these features are seen as early as 3500 BCE and provide insight into the connections and relationships between each of the aforementioned elements of the ritual as well as Egyptian culture and social structure. Each action with the deceased held meaning and was dictated by social status, for only the wealthy or royals could afford such a lavish procedure, but the beliefs behind these practices remained irrevocably tied to Egyptian religious beliefs and the yearning for eternal life. Mummification was a necessary practice throughout Ancient Egyptian history in order to assure that the deceased could enter and prosper in the afterlife.

The mummification process is interwoven with social and religious connections. The procedure itself was very expensive and thus “the privilege of mummification, at first the prerogative of the royal pharaohs alone, was gradually extended to the nobility and then to all classes of citizen, and finally to the sacred animals too.” Thus, in death, the Egyptians divulge a great deal of detail about their lives. This later democratization shows that the social hierarchies extended into the religious realm and even into the afterlife. Aside from the monetary requirements of the procedure, the social ranking of a person dictated their religious value as well. The pharaoh, as a deified ruler of Egypt, was obviously highly ranked among the mortal supplicants...