Ancient EgyptianBeliefs About The Afterlife

Beliefs

• The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife

• The people believed that, after you died, life continued in the land of the ‘Two Fields’

Beliefs

• The ancient Egyptians believed that after death to reach the ‘Land of Two Fields’ (heaven), you would travel on the God Ra’s boat across a great river.

• In the beginning, only pharaohs could board Ra's boat and travel to the land of the Two Fields

Change in Beliefs

• The god Osiris opened the door to the afterlife to everyone in ancient Egypt, provided his or her heart was light (good).

• To keep your heart light, you had to spend a lifetime doing good deeds

Impact of Beliefs

• Crime was very low in ancient Egypt because everyone wanted to spend eternity in the heavenly world of the Two Fields, home of the Afterlife. 

Entrance Requirements• Before you could board

Ra's boat, you had to satisfy a few requirements

• First, you had to pass the test of heart in the Hall of Maat. 

• Then, you had to have your name written down somewhere. 

• And you had to have a preserved body.

Weighing of the Heart

• After you died, the ancient Egyptians believed your heart had to be weighed

• The god Anubis weighed your heart. The god Thoth recorded the findings

• If  your heart was light, you passed the test and entered your afterlife

A Heavy Heart?

• If your heart was heavy because your deeds were dreadful, the god Ammut would suddenly appear ... and eat you up!

• You would not get to spend eternity in the afterlife

Write it Down!

• The ancient Egyptians believed that you had to have your name written down somewhere, so that you would not disappear when you died

• Many people had scribes create a cartouche for them

What is a Cartouche

• A cartouche was usually an oval with a name written in it, rather like a nameplate

• By attaching a cartouche to their coffin, people made sure their name was written down in one place at least!

Preserving Bodies• The Egyptians believed

that you needed your body for the afterlife

• The best way the ancient Egyptians knew how to preserve a body was to mummify it

• Anyone who could afford it went to a professional mummy maker

No Cash? Make your own Mummy

• The poor placed the bodies of their dead relatives out in the sun, in the desert sand. The bodies mummified naturally

• These mummies did not last thousands of years like the ones preserved by the mummy-makers.

Concept of a Soul

• The ancient Egyptians believed that everyone had a soul

• They thought the soul had two parts and called the soul by two names - the Ba and the Ka

• The Ba returned during the day to live with the family

• The Ka flew off to live in the afterlife

Lost Soul?

• At night, both the Ba and the Ka flew home to sleep in the body in its tomb

• If something happened to your preserved body, or if your name was not written down somewhere, the Ba and Ka would get lost

No Soul no Afterlife

• According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, if both parts of the soul were not able to come home to your mummified body, you would disappear forever, no longer able to dwell happily in your afterlife. 

Grave Robbing: A Grave Crime

• Grave robbing was the most horrible crime in ancient Egypt

• Grave robbers not only stole someone's wealth, they stole their chance to live happily ever after in the Egyptian afterlife

• Punishments were swift and terrible for grave robbers