I’ve always been fascinated by Egypt, and especially by the Egyptian beliefs about the Afterlife and the mummies and paintings. The Egyptians believed that each human consisted of the physical body, the ‘ka’, the ‘ba’ and the ‘ankh’. They believed that death was simply a temporary interruption of life and that mummification was the key to eternal life.
The scene above shows what occurs when a person has died, according to the ancient Egyptians. The upper left-hand corner shows a deceased appearing before a panel of 14 judges, who will make an accounting for his acts during life. Some of the judges have the key of life, the ‘ankh’, in their hands.
Then Anubis, god of the underworld, who holds the ‘ankh’ in his hand, leads the deceased before the scale. He weights the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma’at, goddess of truth and justice. If the heart outweighs the feather, the deceased has a heart which has been made heavy with evil deeds. In this case, the heart will be devoured by Ammit, the god with the crocodile head. If the feather outweighs the heart, the deceased has led a righteous life and will be presented before Osiris, Lord of the underworld, by Horus, the God with the falcon head who is now holding the ankh in his head.
Osiris, who is sitting on his throne, represented as a mummy and who is surrounded by his wife Isis and her sister Nepthys, will welcome the deceased to the underworld.
Everything required in the Afterlife was packed in the tomb along with the body, for example clothing, writing materials, wigs and hairdressing supplies.
The scene above shows what occurs when a person has died, according to the ancient Egyptians. The upper left-hand corner shows a deceased appearing before a panel of 14 judges, who will make an accounting for his acts during life. Some of the judges have the key of life, the ‘ankh’, in their hands.
Then Anubis, god of the underworld, who holds the ‘ankh’ in his hand, leads the deceased before the scale. He weights the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma’at, goddess of truth and justice. If the heart outweighs the feather, the deceased has a heart which has been made heavy with evil deeds. In this case, the heart will be devoured by Ammit, the god with the crocodile head. If the feather outweighs the heart, the deceased has led a righteous life and will be presented before Osiris, Lord of the underworld, by Horus, the God with the falcon head who is now holding the ankh in his head.
Osiris, who is sitting on his throne, represented as a mummy and who is surrounded by his wife Isis and her sister Nepthys, will welcome the deceased to the underworld.
Everything required in the Afterlife was packed in the tomb along with the body, for example clothing, writing materials, wigs and hairdressing supplies.
By Ruth Knaepkens
