What Is Mummification In Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians had strong cultural beliefs that they never once questioned. Their traditions strongly influenced their daily lives in religion, philosophy and much more. They never wanted to change the way their society was. In fact, they believed that after they died their Ba, or spirit, would make a journey to the afterlife. However, they also believed that their spirit would have to work in the fields of Osiris, even if you were a king or queen. To prevent doing any labor, they created Shabtis. The small figurines would work in their place while they enjoyed their new lives in the afterlife.
The preservation of the human body, mummification, was believed to be the only way to gain immortality. The process was reserved only for the rich and powerful who were then buried in tombs, unlike the less fortunate who were buried in the sand of the desert. Mummification had many steps, which is the reason it took over two months to complete. However, the process ends with the body wrapped in a very thick layer of linen and a decorated burial mask placed on top of the bodies’ head and shoulders. The body would then be taken to its tomb and placed inside its casket. They would be buried with their belongings, like toys, games, and anything else that would help them in their long journey.
A Shabti is among one of the many

However, they divided into two groups: the overseers and workers. There was a total of 36 overseers, one of each group. There was also a total of 365 workers, one for each day of the Egyptian year. The workers were now considered more like slaves than servants. Most burials, no matter how wealthy, included a grand total of 401 Ushabti. They were also often bought in organized decorative boxes due to their large number. By the end of the Ptolemaic Period, the Ushabti was no longer in use because fewer people understood their uses