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... to compare to the great houses in which the Pharaoh or other important persons had lived (Badawy 47). The burial chambers of the mastaba, along with those of virtually all other forms of Egyptian architecture, housed paintings and relief sculptures depicting the actions of everyday life. The nether life destiny is often associated with this "everyday life", where the spirit experiences all the aspects of their mortal life on earth. Often, mastaba's were arranged in cemeteries forming a grid pattern, with "streets" between them.
Cemeteries such as these often are situated around what are probably the greatest structures of Egyptian architecture: pyramids. Pyramids are an extraordinary architectural phenomenon. They were designed with religion in mind and were so important, that great pains were taken to make them perfect. The four corners of the pyramid were placed at the four cardinal points, and the walls slanted up toward an apex, which was intended to symbolize the deceased's ascent to heaven (Badawy 51).
This architecture reflects the idea of the solar destiny. Perfectly angled at 51 52 ', the Great Pyramid at Giza was by far the most exceptional pyramid ever built by the Egyptians (Badawy 52). The burial chamber is lined with polished pink granite, and has two square shafts rising toward the north and south faces of the pyramid (Badawy 52). These provided a passage for the soul to the circumpolar stars of the North, and to the constellation Orion in the South [Figure 2 ]. Again, these passage shafts were symbolic of the solar destiny in Egyptian architecture.
The inside of the burial chambers of all pyramids were also decorated with divine artwork and sculptures, along with food and other offerings, so that the spirit would be able to live comfortably in the afterlife. Pyramids were utilized by many Pharaohs, and were in many opinions, by far the most appealing burial structures in Egypt. However, many Pharaohs preferred the rock cut tomb, which came to epitomize the New Kingdom tomb design. Rock cut tombs featured deep underground passageways leading to a vaulted, sometimes extraordinarily decorated burial chamber. Occasionally, in the more elaborate tombs, additional rooms were decorated with religious imagery, and scenes from the daily life of the deceased.
Most rock cut tombs had a long chapel, with at least one ka statue in a central recess directly opposite the door (Romano 25). A deep shaft descended from the chapel to the burial chamber, as a pathway for the spirit to leave its tomb (Badawy 55). Egyptian burial structures were never complete without some form of artistic decoration. Whether symbolizing the deceased's life on earth, their passage to death, or their judgment regarding life after death, art was always an essential part of the tomb. One main piece of art relevant to the Egyptian religious beliefs is the ka statue [Figure 1 ], which was discussed earlier. Ka statues were decorated to the likeness of the deceased, typically with hieroglyphics etched into the base.
They told the story of the mummy, and often were inscriptions of prayers guiding the spirit to an enjoyable afterlife [Figure 3 ]. Other statues, called sh abatis, were funerary figures placed in the tomb, but were also pieces of art with intricate sculpture and painting. Their function was to provide the spirit with a "substitute laborer", should it be called upon to perform some arduous task. This piece of art symbolizes the Egyptians' desire for a leisurely afterlife (Romano 29). Many other pieces of art and sculpture were symbolic of religious beliefs and rituals. Figure 4 shows a sculpture of the boat that was used in the funeral procession.
It shows all the people facing in one direction, including those attending to the mummy. This usually is interpreted as looking westward, to the land of the dead. The people standing are showing signs of respect to the deceased (Ions 131). In Figures 5 and 6, a vase of some sort is pictured, with a flat drawing of the decoration. Again, these show what seems to be the funerary procession, to the land of the dead, symbolized by the pyramids in the middle (Davis 46 - 47).
These pieces of art were placed in the tomb, along with another very important piece of funerary art, The Book of the Dead. The Book of the Dead is a combination of text and images that gives insight into the religious culture of the Egyptians. It consists mostly of prayers and spells that would guide the spirit to a successful afterlife, and a positive judgment from Osiris, the king of the underworld. The judgment of the deceased by Osiris, in The Book of the Dead, is an elaborate drawing [Figure 7 ]. After the deceased had made his journey to the kingdom of the dead, Anubis immediately accompanied him to the Hall of Two Truths, where he would be found guilty or innocent by the god of the underworld, Osiris. Sitting on the throne on the far right is Osiris, wearing the double crown of both Lower and Upper Egypt, clothed in a tightly fitting, white linen garb.
Attending to him are Isis and Nephtys, and in front of him are the four sons of Horus: Insert, Have, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuf (Ions 135). The weighing of the souls is the main theme of the drawing, directed and recorded by Thoth, the god of wisdom. At this point, the individual's heart was placed on a scale. It was thought that if the dead had lived a good and pure mortal life, his heart should be light and carefree-weighing no more than a feather, the symbol of truth (Ions 136). If the person was considered to be pure, then he was taken before Osiris, where the verdict was declared. If not, he was thrown to About, "a hybrid monster, part lion, part hippopotamus, part crocodile-who crouched nearby, waiting to devour the hearts of the guilty" (Ions 136).
With so many things to observe from just one drawing, one can get an idea about the wealth of cultural information available through the study of Egyptian artwork. Many people find the Egyptian culture fascinating. The art, architecture, beliefs and rituals seem to provide us with a detailed view of their civilization. Such great care was taken to preserve the body that their processes took almost 70 days to complete! This indicates that importance of preservation was a key ritual in the Egyptian society. Ka statues were created in order to ensure the rightful destiny for the deceased.
The procession to the tomb in itself indicates how important mourning and celebration of the afterlife became to the Egyptians. The Opening of the Mouth ceremony illustrates the importance of the spirit's "resurrection" and the mortals' obligation to help it do so. Egyptian architecture was based upon many religious aspects, including the three destinies of the spirit. Elaborate structures devoted to one person indicate the significance of exhibition of the dead. Ancient Egyptian artwork was key in depicting the story of the dead, so when the body was gone, their legacy could live on.
Egyptian art and architecture so reflects their belief in the afterlife that it seems that their whole culture might have revolved around one point-that life after death was not a possibility, but a definite reward for a pure and good life on Earth. However, while it may be easy to moralize about how Egyptian rituals and beliefs glorified a pure and good life on earth, as shown in the story of the Book of the Dead, one cannot assume that this made the culture itself good and perfect. Another portion of the Book of the Dead explains how one's spirit could fool the balance, and even with a heavy heart, appear pure as truth! The fact that preservation of the body itself played such a major role in the religious beliefs may indicate a glorification of humanity and its accomplishments. Though the artwork of the Egyptians shows the rituals and details of every day life, it does not explain what constituted a "good and pure" life.
Humanity's fixation with the afterlife, or at least death avoidance, may simply be a function of the knowledge of death itself. While it is fascinating to observe ancient civilizations speculating about life after death, it is not so very far removed from our own lives, and our own speculations. After all, no on yet knows the reality of life after death. Bibliography: Works Cited Badawy, Alexander. Architecture in Ancient Egypt and the Near East.
Cambridge: M. I. T. Press, 1966. Davis, Whitney. Masking the blow: The scene of representation in late prehistoric Egyptian Art.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992. Frankfort, Henri. Ancient Egyptian Religion, an interpretation. New York: Columbia University Press, 1948. Ions, Veronica. Egyptian Mythology: Second Edition.
London: Paul Hamlyn, 1968. Romano, James F. Death, Burial, and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 1990.
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Research essay sample on Ancient Egyptian Beliefs In The Afterlife
