How Did Ancient Egyptian Afterlife

Ancient Egyptians believed that life on Earth was only temporary, but life would continue on into the afterlife, where they would spend eternity. The decisions they made in the mortal world would predict their destiny after death. The egyptians believed one either was sent to the afterlife for their good deeds, or they suffer the consequences of their wrongdoings, and are sent to the underworld. The Egyptians lived their lives according to how they would want to live for eternity since “the Egyptian afterlife was a mirror-image of life on earth.” (Mark) Many Pharaohs dedicated much of their lives to the construction of their tombs, so they would live comfortably in the afterlife. “The largest pyramid covered 13 acres at it’s base, and was …show more content…
The heart was then used in the Hall of Truth. The first step in the Hall of Truth was confessing to the forty-two judges. The deceased would have to recite things such as “I have not stolen or I have not lied.” If they passed, they continued on to the next step; the feather of truth. It was believed that a person’s fate in the afterworld was decided by Ma’at’s feather. Ma’at was the Goddess of truth and justice; “she decided whether a person would successfully reach the afterlife, by weighing their soul against her feather of truth, and was the personification of the cosmic order and a representation of the stability of the universe.” “Osiris, the god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld” (source 5) would finalize the judging of the heart. Osiris would place the heart on a scale against the feather of truth. Whether or not you did good or bad during your tie on Earth, would decide whether or not you’d make it to the afterlife. Thoth, the creator God, stood by and recorded the results, and Anubis, the God of embalming, stood by to bring the souls to the afterlife. If the heart weighed less than the feather, you’d be sent to the Field of Reeds; if the heart was heavier, you were sent to Ammit, who was a demon that devoured the unworthy souls. This demon was part hippo, part alligator, and part lion. (Mark, Hall of …show more content…
The intestines were protected by Qebehsenuef, who had a hawk head, the lungs were protected by Hapi, who had a head of a baboon, the liver was protected by Imset, who had the head of a man, and the stomach protected by Duamutef, who had the head of a jackal. After the process of removing the organs, the body was dehydrated for seventy days with a mineral salt called natron. After the seventy days the body was rubbed with oil and fragrant spices, and the inside of the body was packed with cloth. The body would then be wrapped in multiple layers of linen. The mummy would be decorated with amulets that would protect the body. Before being placed in the coffin, the body was blessed. After the coffin was decorated inside and out, it was placed in the sarcophagi. The sarcophagus was painted to look like a human. The eyes that were painted on were always open, because the Egyptians believed that the deceased could see through them. Some of the wealthy egyptians had solid gold or silver