Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt
The Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death and developed a funeral cult that they hoped
would ensure their survival in the Afterlife. They believed that the body was needed as a home for
the soul. The practice of preserving the dead began in the Predynastic period when bodies were
simply placed in a sleeping position in a hollow in the sand with a selection of possessions around
him or her and covered with reed mats and then sand. The dry conditions resulted in natural
mummification and the preservation of soft tissue. This continued to be the main way of burial
for most people throughout the time of the pharaohs.
Wealthy people, however, began to have purpose-built tombs, Without the sand as a natural
preservation material a new method of preserving the bodies was needed. Over the centuries
the Egyptians developed a way of preserving the body of the dead person through a process
known as artificial mummification.
MUMMIFICATION
First the brain was removed with a metal hook, then the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines taken
out and preserved separately inside Canopic jars. Each jar had a lid representing a different god:
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the lungs were guarded by the ape-headed god Hapi
the liver was guarded by the human-headed god Imsety
the stomach was guarded by the jackal-headed god Duamutef
the intestines were guarded by the falcon-headed god Qebsenuef.
Once the organs had been removed the body was surrounded and stuffed with natron, a naturally
occurring mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. This helped to dry it out. All
the fluids and rags used were saved and buried with the body. After 40 days oils and resins
were applied to the body to seal the skin and prevent moisture re-entering. After 70 days mummies
were wrapped in many layers of linen. Amulets were usually placed at various points on the body
to protect it, and the amulets’ protective powers were activated by spells read out from the Book of
the Dead, a collection of spells designed to help reach the Afterlife. A mask was then placed over
the mummy’s head. This was sometimes gold to resemble the rising sun. The mummy was then
placed in its coffin.
BURIAL
During the funeral process the coffin was held upright before the tomb by a priest wearing a
mask of the jackal god Anubis. Harrogate museums have one of these masks, made of linen
and papyrus stiffened with plaster. This is the only known surviving mask to allow the wearer
to speak whilst wearing it. This was vital in funeral rituals such as the ‘Opening of the Mouth’
ceremony where the mouth, eyes, nose and ears of the mummy were touched to restore the
senses.
When the dead were laid to rest they were buried with all the items needed in the Afterlife.
This included food and drink, clothing, jewellery, wigs, cosmetics, games and some objects
made especially for burial such as a copy of the Book of the Dead and shabti figures. Shabtis
were provided to do any work for their owner. Harrogate Museums have several hundred
shabti figures.
The Ancient Egyptians believed the being of a person was made up with the physical body, the
soul (Ka), the spirit (Ba), the name (Ren) and the shadow (Shuwt). The soul would be judged by
Osiris, god of the underworld. If they had led a bad life their soul would be destroyed but if they
had been good the Ka and Ba could join together to form an Akh, or transfigured spirit, and spend
eternity in the ‘Land of the West’, a paradise resembling Egypt itself.
THE SCIENCE
Several of the collection objects have been subject to scientific testing at the University of York. A
jar naming the priest Djediufankh was analysed using GCMS (see scientific techniques information)
and it was discovered that it contained cholesterol and human bile acid indicating that the jar had
once contained a human stomach. This means the missing jar lid would have been the jackalheaded god Duamutef. The analysis also revealed the organs had been sterilised using alcohol in
the form of date palm wine mixed with imported cinnamon and conifer and pistacia resins.