Egyptian Architecture free essay sample

Death Rituals Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion. It is pretty noticeable the huge interest of Egyptians in the death process where they deeply believed in the principle of ‘the passage of the true eternal life’. Death was never feared by this people, instead it was considered as a transition into the Afterlife. The Egyptians believed that the body had to be intact in order for the next world to except it, this is a major reason that the Pharaohs contents of the tomb were of such importance. They emphasis on the importance of rituals, customs and beliefs as well as funerary architecture can be seen clearly in the discovery of the tomb of Kings and Pharaohs. The planning that went into every Pharaohs tomb was extremely complex, as each tomb was significantly different in terms of the tombs layout and wall decorations. The tombs structure and layout had to somehow reflect the formation and projection of the solar star. We will write a custom essay sample on Egyptian Architecture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Wall decorations in the tomb don’t represent the Pharaohs everyday life but that of their Afterlife and the challenges the Pharaoh has to undertake in order to reach the Kingdom of Osiris, land of the Afterlife. So these beliefs are reflected on the style of decorations featured in the tombs from imitations of papyrus to elaborate texts painted on the walls throughout the tomb. The tomb-owner would continue after death the occupations of this life and so everything required was packed in the tomb along with the body. Writing materials were often supplied along with clothing, wigs, and hairdressing supplies and assorted tools,depending on the occupation of the deceased. Many tombs have been destroyed over the years, but historians have classified tombs into five types, such as the simple pit-graves, Mastaba tomb, Rock-cut chapels, Pyramid tombs and Mortuary chapel tombs. Pit graves were the simplest forms of burial and were more common in the poorer society in Egypt, and were still seen later on in the 20th Dynasty. It consisted of a hole in the ground that was a fraction longer than that of the deceased, and was covered with a number of bricks which were also used to line the walls of the pit. Mortuary chapel tombs were grand and consisted of a number of rooms and courtyards, tomb walls. This type of tomb was built below the ground, as usually the chapel was built on the surface and the burial chambers below the ground. Rock cut chapels were more commonly used by Pharaohs and those of the richer society as the rocky regions of Egypt best suited the building of these tombs. The Nile area was rocky and featured many cliffs, so these were excellent locations for the cutting of the tombs directly in the hillside. A royal tomb could be completed within a few months for a simple tomb or for a larger and complex tomb it varied from six to ten years. Decorations varied for each Pharaoh from elaborate paintings to imitations of papyrus. These magical and religious texts were drawn on the walls for the deceased to inform, and use as a valuable tool for them to make sure that they had enough knowledge of magical formulas for them to use during the Afterlife and they were also painted in sequence of events. The New Kingdom royal tombs featured ceiling decorations, which included star maps, which represented the daily birth of the sun. Placing a burial underneath a symbolic symbol was considered of great importance for the resurrection of the body. Before a body was buried the process of embalming took place for seventy days. Historian Herodotus tells of three grades of mummification that depended upon the amount of money the deceased had. The most expensive procedure was the embalming which resembled the god Osiris. The ritual took place usually within seventy days and a contract was drawn up between the embalmers and the deceased family, which specifies the amount of time the embalming procedure will take place. The body was then placed on a wooden table and was purified by washing the body in a solution of Nutron. The brain was removed from the nasal cavity, and the abdomen was cut and all organs were removed and then purified with aromas. Once the organs were removed they were placed into jars and placed inside the tomb. The body is then stuffed with straw, sawdust, mud or linen; this assists in retaining the deceases bodies shape and is also wrapped with linen and bandages. A special element of the rite was a sculpted mask, put on the face of the eceased. This mask was believed to strengthen the spirit of the mummy and guard the soul from evil spirits on its way to the Afterworld. Most funerary masks were not made of solid gold; however, living persons in ancient Egypt might have employed transformational spells to assume nonhuman forms. These masks were not made from casts of the features; rather, the mummification process itself preserved the features of the deceased. The masks of both men and women had over-exaggerated eyes and often enigmatic half smiles. These objects were then framed by long, narrow, tripartite wigs held securely by a decorated headband. Egyptian rituals and beliefs also played an extremely important part in the lead up to a deceased burial, the instillation of the burial and its tombs content takes place outside the tomb. The transport of the body to the tomb took form of a ritual procession that normally began on the East bank of the Nile River. The whole thing was led by chanting priests who chanted hymns just for the ceremony. Some Egyptians carried food, gifts, greases, and the Canopic Jars, just to be buried with the mummy. After crossing the river to the west the body was placed on a sledge and drawn by oxen to the tomb. Close to the mummy stood two women who normally were used to impersonate the diving mourners Isis, goddess of fertility, and Nephthys, Â  goddess associated with ritual of the dead, who represented the wife and sister of the god Osiris followed by mourners of the deceased. The last mourner in the procession burnt enrages and sprinkled milk at the procession as they wound their way to the tomb. Ritual dancers, known as Muu and a priest who honors the deceased now greet the procession. The ancient ritual of the opening of the mouth now takes place; this is the most significant part of the burial traditions as the purpose of this ceremony is to restore the mummy and their power of speech, sight and hearing. The body has now completed the first part of Egyptian rituals. When the deceased approaches the Entrance of the tomb a priest who impersonates the god Anubis, a jackal-headed Egyptian god, the son of Osiris that conducted the dead to the underworld, stands the body in an upright position. The priest now touches the mouth of the deceased with ritual instruments, which now restores their senses. The next stage is the offering of clothes, ointments and offerings of food so the deceased can take them into the Afterlife. The mummy is now ready to be placed into its burial chamber, after the door is sealed all footprints around the tomb is swept away and the last rites are read. The stages leading up to the burial of the deceased was an integral part of the Egyptians beliefs and rituals, as the Egyptians regarded the dead as being very much alive, living in their tombs like they had previously lived in their homes. Outside the chapel it was common to see gardens, and tombs surrounding as Cemeteries were planned to look like miniature cities like the one at Giza. The king’s death like other Pharaohs was a grand affair, and was mourned by all of Egypt. Generally after a Pharaohs death there was a three-month interval between his death and his burial. During this time the complex ritual of embalming took place. The embalming of a Pharaoh was known as the ‘House of Vigor’ in which the Pharaohs body was purified and all impurities were removed. After the final phase of the mummification ritual takes place, the Pharaoh now passes into eternity. The Egyptians believed that each person had a ba, or soul, and a ka, an invisible twin of the deceased person, which were released from the body after death. The ba visited family and friends and the ka traveled back and forth from the body to the underworld. In order for a person to live on forever, the ba and the ka had to be able to recognize the body when they returned to it every night. The process of mummification was a crucial practice for the ancient Egyptians as it ensured the survival of a persons remains, thus promising eternal life. For Egyptians, the cycles of human life, rebirth, and afterlife reflected the reproductive cycles that surrounded them in the natural world. After death, the Egyptians looked forward to continuing their daily lives as an invisible spirit among their descendents on Earth in Egypt, enjoying all the pleasures of life with none of its pain or hardships. It can be seen that death and burial in Egypt was of enormous importance within the Egyptian society especially when it was concerning someone of higher status like that of a Pharaoh. This belief in the Afterlife played an important part in reinforcing the rituals and beliefs of death in Egyptian society as death was not believed to be the end but the beginning of one’s life. This is why rituals and beliefs as well as architecture and decorations of tombs were emphasized and carried out in the light of one’s death. These cultural beliefs have made the Egyptians most fascinating for the time and effort they put into the preparations of one’s death.