Burial Goods (BlogPost #8)

The ancient Egyptians believed that burial customs were necessary to have immortality after their death and these includes mummifying, magic spells, and burial goods which they think is needed for the afterlife. The purpose the the burial goods were to protect and sustain the afterlife of the dead. The types of burial goods changed throughout time but it usually consisted of bowls, combs and also food. The wealthier Egyptians would usually put furniture and jewelries which were a target of tomb robbers.


The article What Egyptians Took to the Afterlife by Jimmy Dunn from touregypt.net gives more information about the burial goods of ancient Egyptians.

The Egyptians thought that the dead could take considerable items with them that is why there were burial goods. It was said that the king or officials who will be buried in the Valley of the Kings would began stocking their tombs long before their death. There were a lot of funerary items included in the coffin of the dead like the face mask, a sculpture of the king's face, so he could be recognized by the deities when his dead. There were also amulets found on a king's neck, either a heart amulet or a vulture amulet, to protect the king from threats.

Royal tombs contained ritualistic objects like Tutankhamun's tomb. There were life size ka-statues that guarded the sealed entrance to the burial chamber. There were also statues of the king and twenty eight statues of the the deities. For Sethos, his tomb has 700 1,000 shabti figures which were believed to be magical fieldworkers for the afterlife. The early pyramid builders buried full size boats but at the Valley of Kings there were only model figures. The royal boats were a symbol for the transportation of the king to the afterlife.

Ancient Egyptians believed that they could bring their wealth to the afterlife. This rituals and their culture influenced a lot to the religions we have now and our modern society. They are the first to make use of science and they were the first to make a bread rise with the use of yeast.  The alphabet was influenced by the Egyptian hieroglyphs and they figured out the 360 day calendar due to their religious festivals and feasts. I have the article How Ancient Egypt Influenced The Modern World by Franz L. Kessler  from authorden.com to give more information.

When people talk about what influenced their culture, they often think of Greece, Rome or Judaism but the three were inspired by the ancient world of Egypt. The Egyptians influenced us through architecture because of the pyramids and even though we have modern materials for construction the pyramids still remain as one of the strongest building around the world. Art deco was also influenced by them, treasures were found inside the tombs of the kings which influenced the art deco during the twenties and thirties. Astrology is based on the Egyptians observation, they used the pattern in the sky and the series of events that happened on earth. The Egyptians also influenced a lot to medicine, their physicians were also priests so they treat patients base on their religious belief.