Life after death
The ancient Egyptians believed in a further and eternal life following death .
This was without any doubt because of their observation for some natural phenomena .
The Nile and the sun cycles , and the myth of Osiris inspired them with the idea of the resurrection .
According to them , the sun sets ( dies ) in the western horizon to rise ( reborn ) the next morning .
The Nile flood occurs in the same time every year to inundate the dead ( dry ) land and make it alive suitable for cultivation .
Following the harvest season , it dies ( dries ) once more until the next year .
It is also believed that dreams had played a certain part in their beliefs .
When people saw their deceased relatives in the their dreams , they must have thought that these deceased persons were still alive somewhere in the beyond .
Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs
Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs were centred around a variety of complex rituals that were influenced by many aspects of Egyptian culture .
(Religion) was a major contributor , since it was an important social practice that bound all Egyptians together .
For instance , many of the ( Egyptian Gods ) played roles in guiding the souls of the dead through the afterlife .
With the evolution of writing , religious ideals were recorded and quickly spread throughout the Egyptian community .
The solidification and commencement of these doctrines were formed in the creation of afterlife texts which illustrated and explained what the dead would need to know in order to complete the journey safety .
Egyptian religious doctrines included three afterlife ideologies ; belief in an underworld , eternal life , and rebirth of the soul .
The underworld , also known as the Duat , had only one entrance that could be reached by travelling through the tomb of the deceased .
The initial image a soul would be presented with upon entering this realm was a corridor lined with an array of fascinating statues , including a variation of the famous hawk-headed god , Horus .
The path taken to the underworld may have varied between kings and common people .
After entry , spirits were presented to another prominent god , Osiris .
Osiris would determine the virtue of the deceased’s soul and grant those deemed deserving a peaceful afterlife .
The Egyptian concept of ‘ eternal life ‘ was often seen as being reborn indefinitely .
Therefore the souls who had lived their life elegantly were guided to Osiris to be born again .
In order to achieve the ideal afterlife , many practices had to be performed during one’s life .
This may have included acting following the beliefs of Egyptian creed .
Additionally, the Egyptians stressed the rituals completed after an individual’s life has ended .
In order words , it was the responsibility of the living to carry out the final traditions required so the dead could promptly meet their final fate .
Ultimately , maintaining high religious morals by both the living and the dead , as well as complying to a variety of traditions guaranteed the deceased a smoother transition into the underworld .
Funeral practices
There were many challenges the dead had to face before they were able to enter into the final stages of the afterlife .
However, through the support of the living , the dead had access to the protection and knowledge they would need to be reborn in the netherworld .
However, through the support of the living , the dead had access to the protection and knowledge they would need to be reborn in the netherworld .
However, through the support of the living , the dead had access to the protection and knowledge they would need to be reborn in the netherworld .
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