Burial Rituals
In the beginning, ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the desert. The bodies were dehydrated quickly because of the heat and dryness of the sand. This left the bodies looking life like and created natural ‘mummies’. Later they started to bury the dead in coffins to protect them from desert animals. However, they found that the bodies in the coffins decayed.
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/6/9/26698909/9107093.jpg?373)
Over many centuries ancient Egyptians developed a method of preserving bodies so that they looked life like. They would embalm the bodies and wrap them with strips of fine linen. This process was called mummification.
Ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died, their soul left their body. The soul would then come back to the body after it was buried. They believed that it was important to preserve the body so that the soul could recognize it when it came back and live forever.
Image Caption: Mummification Process. N.d. Photograph. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xnBJvjeuLVs/UVS6u-bEQ5I/AAAAAAAAAaE/2s3eGchALmg/s1600/ha10.jpg>.
Ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died, their soul left their body. The soul would then come back to the body after it was buried. They believed that it was important to preserve the body so that the soul could recognize it when it came back and live forever.
Image Caption: Mummification Process. N.d. Photograph. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xnBJvjeuLVs/UVS6u-bEQ5I/AAAAAAAAAaE/2s3eGchALmg/s1600/ha10.jpg>.
Image Caption: Mummies Unwrapped. N.d. Photograph. History Channel. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <https://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=lvCgM4seT6DzfM&tbnid=WGIoM6h2I1D6dM:&ved=0CAIQjBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.history.com%2Fimages%2Fmedia%2Finfographic%2Fmummies-unwrapped-infographic.jpg&ei=8MweU5vjCY6Frgejs4CABg&psig=AFQjCNG-6096L03RHJLkFBjIh41ZVs337Q&ust=1394612209012463>.