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Background information
Made by: Individual maker unknown The first civilised society in the world developed along the Nile valley in north eastern Africa. Ancient Egypt was originally known as Kemet and inhabited by Black Africans. It was only after the Greeks invaded that it was renamed Agyptos which means 'land of the black faces'. Persians and Romans invaded before the Arabs, who are still present in Egypt today, invaded 1400 years ago. The ancient Egyptians believed that a person's soul left the body at death. After burial the soul was reunited with the body and lived on in the afterlife. For this to happen the body had to be well preserved. The body was mummified and placed in a coffin like this with decorations, symbols and writing addressed to the protectors of the afterlife. The face was an image of the dead person. Cartonnage was used to make the coffin as it was cheap and easy to shape and paint. Wood which had to be imported into Egypt was often too expensive. The coffin was placed inside a tomb, often with statuettes of servants, food and wine and even musical instruments and games which ensured the continuation of a comfortable life after death. Immediately after death embalmers began to remove the parts of the body that would decompose first. The brain was removed through the nose with hooks. The heart was treated, wrapped and later placed back in the body as it was believed to be the seat of reason and the most important organ. The other major organs were removed and sometimes stored separately in canopic jars (which can also be seen in the exhibition). The body was treated with a naturally occurring salt and packed with temporary stuffing to speed drying which took about forty days. Finally the body was stuffed to retain the shape and bandaged with linen coated with resins, before being placed in the coffin. On the front and side of this coffin lid, about half way up on the right hand side, you can see a picture of the 'weighing of the heart', the most important ceremony . The ancient Egyptians believed that before starting a new life a dead person had to prove that they were worthy. At the entrance to the afterworld a person's heart was weighed on scales against a feather, the symbol of truth. If the scales balanced the person had lead a good life and could continue on. If guilty, the scales failed to balance the heart was devoured by Ammut (with the crocodile head) preventing an afterlife. The dead person, dressed in white, can be seen being lead by Thoth (with the ibis bird head) to meet Osiris, the god of the underworld. By entering Osiris' realm the dead person lived again. |