Comunicación y Gerencia
Chapter 1
Pagan Roots of Modern
Funeral Practices
Funeral Customs of the Egyptians, Greeks,
Romans and Christians
The
Ancient
Egyptians
•The ancient period was from 6000
b.c. to 600 a.d.
•During this period it is noted over
400, 000,000 bodies were embalmed!!
•The Ancient Egyptians were
credited with discovery.
•Do you think that the Egyptians
were the first civilization to embalm
their dead?
•No, …since the beginning of time
civilizations have tried to preserve
their dead.
•The Egyptians were credited with
discovery simply because they were
the first to disclose how it was done.
•Why do you think they embalmed the
bodies of the dead?
•SanitationThe Nile river flooded annually
and therefore made it unsanitary for
burial in areas close to the river which
most of the Egyptians lived .
•ReligiousThe Egyptians believed in an
afterlife through the cult of Osiris.
•OsirisOsiris was the Egyptian god of
the underworld and the judge of the
dead.
•It was believed that the sun was the
center of the universe.
•When a person died it was their
belief that they were to travel to the
sun and back in a circuit called the……..
“Circle of Necessity.”
•The Egyptians believed that the
“Circle of Necessity” journey took
3000 years.
•If the body was still preserved after
the 3000 years the soul would not
forsake the body…Thus the primary
reason for embalming was a religious
belief.
•You should now see why
preservation was so important !!!!!
Egyptian scene the “Balance”.
Egyptian scene the “Balance”.
As shown here, the soul's journey toward eternal life in the kingdom of Osiris
takes the soul first through a series of portals, where he must answer complex
ritual questions posed by the 14 Guardians of the Way, seated above. Then
the soul is led by Anubis to the scales, where his heart is weighed in the
balance against the feather of Truth. If the heart is heavy with guile and deceit,
and the pan that holds the feather rises, Anubis tosses the heart to the
monster Am-mit, who devours it. But if the heart is as simple and light as truth
itself, the soul's life is assured. After Thoth, at center, records the outcome,
Horus leads the soul into the presence of Osiris, seated with Isis and
Nephthys behind him, and the four sons of Horus emerging from the lotus at
the front of the King's throne.
•Anubis~ The God Of Embalming and
Mummification.
In ancient Egypt, Anubis was the jackal-headed god of embalming who guided the
souls of the dead through the underworld kingdom of his father, Osiris. Considered
benevolent and good, Anubis was present at the weighing of the dead person's soul,
and was also at home in the heavenly sky realms of Ra.
His mother was the goddess Nephthys, who along with Isis, Set, and Osiris were the
children of the sky goddess Nut and the earth god Geb.
Occasionally Anubis is considered the son of Set, but in the more prevalent myth,
Nephthys left Set and seduced her sister's husband, Osiris or as some myths say
Ra the Sun God.
She conceived Anubis, but when he was born she abandoned him in the wilderness.
Isis found Anubis with the aid of some dogs, and she raised him.
When Anubis grew up, he guarded his foster mother faithfully, and he accompanied
Isis and Osiris whenever they journeyed through the world.
•Anubis~
When Set murdered and dismembered his brother Osiris, the sisters
Isis and Nephthys searched for his body.
When they found all the pieces of the Osiris' body, it was Anubis who invented
the art of embalming and mummification so that his father (or step-father)
could live again and reign in the world of the dead.
Anubis is often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal or a dog but is
sometimes shown as having the body of a jackal or dog as well. Sometimes he is
depicted with one side of his face white or golden and the other black at other
times as being completely black but holding a green palm leaf aloft, to
symbolize his position in both the heavenly as well as touching on the earthly
realms.
Anubis was also the God of poisons and medicines due his supplying such
things during the mummification of Osiris.
Methods of Egyptian
Embalming
•There were three methods of
embalming~
Expensive
Medium Priced
Inexpensive
Methods of Egyptian
Embalming
•Old school of Embalming
•Modern school of embalming
Expensive Method of
Embalming
•The expensive method of embalming
consisted of 5 steps
1. The brain was removed through the
ear and nose with a hook type of
instrument
Expensive Method of
Embalming
2. The body was eviscerated and the
vital organs were placed in jars called
canopic jars which were named after
the 4 sons of Horus.
Who was Horus?
Horus
•The One Far Above
Appearance
•man with the head of a hawk
•a hawk
Horus was a god of the sky
•He was probably most well known
as the protector of the ruler of
Egypt
Who was Horus?
The Egyptians believed that the
pharaoh was the ‘living Horus’.
Horus Standard
• Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. After
Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth, Horus
fought with Seth for the throne of Egypt. In this
battle, Horus lost one of his eyes. This eye was
restored to him and it became a symbol of protection
for the ancient Egyptians. After this battle, Horus
was chosen to be the ruler of the world of the living
Who was Horus?
The Eye of Horus.
•One of the best-preserved
temples in Egypt was dedicated to
Horus. It is located in Upper
Egypt at a town called Edfu.
The four sons of
Horus
•Hapi-Baboon/Dog headed-Guardian of the Small
Intestines.
•Tuamutef-Jackal headed-Guardian of the Lungs and
Heart.
•Qebehsenuef-Falcon/Hawk headed-Guardian of the
Liver and Gallbaldder.
•Mestha-Human headed-Guardian of the Stomach and
Large Intestine.
Expensive Method of
Embalming
3. The body was then soaked in a
natronic (sodium salt).
During this process the finger and
toenails fell off, which were sewn back
on with golden thread which added to
the cost of the embalming.
Expensive Method of
Embalming
4. After 20-70 days of soaking in the
natronic solution, the body was
removed and then dried in the sun.
5. The last step was, the body was
bandaged and spiced. Up to 1,200
yards of 3 ¼ inch cloth was used.
This entire process took up to 120
days to complete!!!!!
Expensive Method of
Embalming
This method would have cost about
$5000.00 in U.S. money today.
What percent of Egyptians do you
think were embalmed with this method?
Expensive Method of
Embalming
~Only about 2%!
How does that correlate with our
society today?
Medium Priced Method
of Embalming
•This medium priced of embalming
only consisted of three steps.
1. Cedar oil was injected into the
abdominal cavity in order to dissolve
and dehydrate internal organs.
2. The body was pickled in the
natronic solution for 70 days.
Medium Priced Method
of Embalming
3. The body was then dried in the sun
and returned to the family.
At this point the family would bury
their family member in a selected
place.
What percent of Egyptians were
embalmed with this method?
Medium Priced Method
of Embalming
Only about 18% were embalmed with
this method.
This method cost about $1200.oo in
U.S. money today.
Medium Priced Method
of Embalming
This leaves about 80 % of the
Egyptian population to be embalmed
with one of the 3 inexpensive methods.
Inexpensive Methods
of Embalming
1. The body was pickled in a natronic
solution.
2. The body was tarred.
3.The body was simply tanned
Why do you think the Egyptians
were so successful with their
embalming methods???
Embalming Specialists
1. The Kher-heb, also known as the
priest was in charge of the Necroplis
(City of the Dead).
He was the supervisor, but did not
touch the bodies because he was
considered a holy man and the body
was thought unclean.
Embalming Specialists
2. The Scribe, also known as the
lawyer.
He drew the line of the place of the
incision on the abdomen.
Embalming Specialists
1. The Dissector, also known as the
paraschisties .
He was the one who made the incision
through which the vicera were
removed. His duties were considered
taboo and he was stoned after each
performance of his duties. It was
severe at first but in later periods was
merely a token ritual.
Embalming Specialists
1. The pollinctor, also known as the
Apothecary.
He was the one who mixed all of the
medicines and materials to be used
for the embalming process.
Where else have you heard the term
Apothecary?
Embalming Specialists
1. The Embalmer, also known as the
Surgeon or Anatomist.
He was in charge of the actual
embalming. His duties also included
the wrapping that mummies are known
for.
This would then make you a “Post
Mortem Vascular Surgeon”.
Egyptian things to remember.
1. The basic reason underlying the practice of mummification was the
belief that it was necessary to preserve the body in the most perfect
form that it may be rejoined with the spirit.
2.The Egyptians were mummified as a matter of custom.
3. The Egyptian embalmers belonged to the priestly class…..
Embalming was a religious ritual as well as a physical operation.
From the earliest times until now, Egyptian embalming has continued
to rouse lively interest and admiration, and from Ancient Egypt to
present, neither the idea nor the practice of embalming has ever been
lost, nor for that matter, was there ever an eclipse of knowledge as to
the general proceedure wich the Egyptians used.
Lets now take a break and we’ll come back and get into the Ancient
Greek Civilization.