death-afterlifeWe're still mapping where this idea was first discussed. Key passages and related ideas below.
The Ba — Soul / Personality
A human-headed bird that flies out of the tomb by day and home to the body by night.
Among the parts of a person, Egyptians counted the ba: roughly, the unique personality and capacity for movement, especially after death. It was pictured as a bird with a human head, able to fly out of the tomb by day, visit the living world and the sun, and return to the body at night. The ba kept the dead person mobile and present in the world.
Key passages(2)
Very high
The Pyramid Texts · 2350 BCE
High