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Ancient Egyptian Burial Practices

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Ancient Egyptian Burial Practices

You are helping Aisha and Hemi prepare a small art gallery display about ancient Egyptian burial practices. Read the information and use the gallery notes to solve the questions. Ancient Egyptian beliefs and practices changed over time and were not identical for everyone.

Read the gallery notes

Many ancient Egyptians believed that a person could live on after death. They thought the body needed to be preserved so the person could use it in the afterlife. Mummification was a way of preserving a body. For an elite burial, the process often took about 70 days: the body was dried, treated, wrapped in linen, and placed in a coffin. Some organs were stored in canopic jars, while the brain was usually removed and discarded. Practices varied, and not everyone could afford an elaborate burial. A tomb might contain food, clothing, jewellery, furniture, protective amulets, and small shabti figures, which were believed to work for the dead in the afterlife. Some burials included written spells and instructions. The collection of spells now known as the Book of the Dead was not one single book used by every person. Tombs and coffins varied too: pharaohs of some periods were buried in pyramids, while many other people were buried in simpler graves or tombs.

Investigate the evidence

Answer using the gallery notes. Give a reason when asked.

1.Choose the best explanation of why many ancient Egyptians practised mummification.

They believed preserving the body could help a person in the afterlife.
They wanted every person to be buried in a pyramid.
They used mummification to make food last longer.
They believed linen wrapping made people become pharaohs.

2.Number these steps from 1 to 3 to show a simplified sequence for an elite mummification: wrapping the body in linen; drying and treating the body; placing the wrapped body in a coffin.

3.About how long could an elite mummification take, according to the notes?

4.Match each burial object with its purpose.

Canopic jars
Shabti
Amulet
Coffin

Protective charm
Held some organs removed during mummification
Container for the wrapped body
Small figure believed to work for the dead in the afterlife

5.Every ancient Egyptian was buried in a pyramid. Write true or false, then correct the statement.

TrueFalse

6.The notes say that some burials contained jewellery and furniture, and that not everyone could afford an elaborate burial. What does this suggest about differences between people's burials?

7.Aisha writes, “The Book of the Dead was one single book that every ancient Egyptian used.” Is this a reliable statement according to the notes? Explain your answer.

8.Name two burial-related objects mentioned in the gallery notes and describe one way each could relate to burial beliefs or practices.

9.Hemi says, “Burial practices were exactly the same for all ancient Egyptians.” Use two details from the notes to explain why this claim is too simple.

10.Sketch a small gallery display featuring three burial-related objects. Label each object and add one sentence explaining what it tells visitors about ancient Egyptian beliefs or practices.

Use this space for Question 10.