death-afterlifeWe're still mapping where this idea was first discussed. Key passages and related ideas below.
Mummification & the Preserved Body
They preserved the body so the soul would always have a home to return to.
Because Egyptians believed a person's spirit-parts needed the body to return to, they developed elaborate methods of preserving the dead: drying the body with natron, removing certain organs (kept in jars or returned), wrapping it in linen, and equipping it with amulets. A well-preserved body, ritually reactivated, let the ka and ba live on. Techniques and quality varied greatly by period and the family's means.
Key passages(1)
The Pyramid Texts · 2350 BCE
High