An Egyptian pre-Old Kingdom desert burial. The deceased (and that's a real mummy in there) would be placed in the fetal position, maybe wrapped in a shroud of cloth or reeds, and buried in the sand, where the heat would kill off all the bacteria before the process of decomposition could start. It's believed that the Egyptians' concern (some would say obsession) with the preservation of the body started when these burials became uncovered, leading them to believe that the corpse within had attained some kind of bodily immortality.
A Ptolemaic-era shroud. These would be painted with a picture of the deceased and wrapped about the corpse as a replacement for expensive coffins which had idealized sculptured masks of the deceased as a feature.
Another Ptolemaic-era depiction of a deceased person, this one painted on a wooden board which would then be attached to the front of the coffin like an extremely personal grave marker.
If you've ever read
anything about Ancient Egypt, you'll recognize this papyrus. In it, the dead man is led by Anubis to have his heart weighed on scales against the feather of the goddess Ma'at, patron of truth and justice. If he passes, he'll be presented to Osiris, king of the dead, as on the right, and his status as one of the blessed dead recorded by Thoth, the ibis-headed god of scribes, but if he fails, his heart will be eaten by Ammet, the lion-hippo-crocodile creature.
A beautiful statue of Bastet, the feline goddess of mothers and cosmetics.
An Egyptian pre-Old Kingdom desert burial. The deceased (and that's a real mummy in there) would be placed in the fetal position, maybe wrapped in a shroud of cloth or reeds, and buried in the sand, where the heat would kill off all the bacteria before the process of decomposition could start. It's believed that the Egyptians' concern (some would say obsession) with the preservation of the body started when these burials became uncovered, leading them to believe that the corpse within had attained some kind of bodily immortality.
A Ptolemaic-era shroud. These would be painted with a picture of the deceased and wrapped about the corpse as a replacement for expensive coffins which had idealized sculptured masks of the deceased as a feature.
Another Ptolemaic-era depiction of a deceased person, this one painted on a wooden board which would then be attached to the front of the coffin like an extremely personal grave marker.
If you've ever read anything about Ancient Egypt, you'll recognize this papyrus. In it, the dead man is led by Anubis to have his heart weighed on scales against the feather of the goddess Ma'at, patron of truth and justice. If he passes, he'll be presented to Osiris, king of the dead, as on the right, and his status as one of the blessed dead recorded by Thoth, the ibis-headed god of scribes, but if he fails, his heart will be eaten by Ammet, the lion-hippo-crocodile creature.
A beautiful statue of Bastet, the feline goddess of mothers and cosmetics.
loving the photos and commentary......keep them coming
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