ART1204 Architecture of the Afterlife: Embalming & Tombs in Ancient Egypt

ARCHITECTUREOFTHE
AFTERLIFE
Embalming & Tombs in Ancient Egypt
Professor
Will
Adams

Ancient Egyptian Mummiﬁcation
Preserving Pharaohs for an Eternity

The Purpose of Egyptian Mummiﬁcation
§  In
order
for
the
person’s

spirit,
or
ka,
to
live
forever,
it

had
to
be
able
to
recognize
&

return
to
the
body.

§  If
a
spirit
could
not
recognize

the
body
it
belonged
to,
it

would
die.

§  This
is
why
the
Egyptians

wanted
to
preserve
the

bodies
of
the
dead
in
as
life-‐
like
a
state
as
possible.

§  Mummiﬁcation
guaranteed

eternal
life
for
the
spirit.

The Mummiﬁcation Process
§  The
entire
process
took
70

days
to
complete.

§  Several
embalmers

conducted
the
task
in
the

special
embalming
shop,
or

per-‐nefer.

§  The
chief
embalmer
was

known
as
the
hery
sheshta.

§  He
wore
a
jackal
mask
to

represent
Anubis,
the
god

of
mummiﬁcation.

§  After
the
deceased’s
body

was
brought
to
the
per-‐
nefer,
it
was
washed
with
a

mixture
of
palm
wine
and

water
from
the
Nile,
then

shaved
of
its
hair.

§  Following
that,
all
of
the

body
parts
that
might
decay

or
rot
were
removed.

§  The
embalmers
ﬁrst

removed
the
deceased’s

brain
through
his
or
her
nose

using
a
long
hook.

§  The
long
hook
was
used
to

stir
up
the
brain
until
it
was

liqueﬁed.

§  Then
the
embalmers
would

turn
the
body
face
down
to

allow
the
brain
to
ooze
out

through
the
nostrils.

§  The
Egyptians
were
so
rough

on
the
brain
because
they

didn’t
realize
its
importance.

§  They
thought
its
sole

purpose
was
to
produce

snot!

§  Next,
the
embalmers

would
remove
the
soft,

moist
body
parts
that

would
cause
the
body
to

decay.

§  A
deep
incision
was
made

in
the
left
side
of
the

deceased’s
abdomen
to

remove
his
or
her
internal

organs,
usually
the
lungs,

the
stomach,
the
liver
and

the
intestines.

§  In
some
cases
they
removed

the
heart,
but
in
the
vast

majority
of
cases
they
left
it.

§  Unlike
modern
humans,
the

ancient
believed
that
the

heart,
not
the
brain,
was
the

seat
of
the
soul

§  The
Egyptians
also
believed

that
the
heart
testiﬁed
on

behalf
of
the
deceased

during
the
Weighing
of
the

Heart
Ceremony
in
the

afterlife.

§  After
the
body’s
organs
had

been
removed,
it
was
stuﬀed

with
bundles
of
a
strong

drying
salt
called
natron
that

was
meant
to
further

dehydrate
the
corpse.

§  The
deceased’s
entire
body

was
then
covered
with
natron

&
placed
on
an
inclined
slab
so

that
any
moisture
the
natron

pulled
from
the
body
would

run
oﬀ
the
end,
be
collected
&

buried
with
the
body.

§  While
the
body
was
drying,
the

previously
removed
internal

organs
were
also
dried
&

preserved
with
natron.

§  They
were
then
wrapped
in

strips
of
linen
&
put
into

separate
containers
called

canopic
jars.

§  The
Egyptians
believed
that
all

body
parts
would
be
magically

reunited
in
the
afterlife
and

that
the
body
would
become

whole
again,
just
like
the
god

Osiris’s
had.

The Egyptian Myth of Osiris
§  According
to
Egyptian

mythology,
the
god
Osiris
was

murdered
by
his
jealous

brother
Set,
who
hacked

Osiris’s
body
into
pieces
&

scattered
them
into
the
Nile.

§  Heartbroken,
Osiris’s
wife,
the

goddess
Isis,
reassembled
the

pieces
with
the
other
gods’

assistance
&
Osiris
was

magically
restored.

§  He
then
went
on
to
become

the
god
of
the
afterlife.

§  Next,
the
canopic
jars

were
carefully
stored
in

a
heavy,
secure
chest

that
was
later
placed
in

the
tomb
with
the

mummy.

§  The
chest
of
canopic
jars

on
the
left
was
found
in

the
tomb
of
the
famous

King
Tutankhamen.

§  After
40
days,
the
body
was

completely
dehydrated.

§  During
that
time
the
skin

became
shrunken,
wrinkled

&
leathery.

§  The
bundles
of
natron
were

then
removed
from
the

body’s
abdomen.

§  Next,
the

mummy
was

washed
with
wine
&
water

one
more
time
&
rubbed

with
sacred
oils
to
soften
the

skin.

§  According
to
Egyptian
myth,

the
god
Horus
had
his
eye

miraculously
restored
after

losing
it
in
a
battle
with
the
evil

god
Set.

§  As
a
result,
The
Eye
of
Horus,

called
a
wedjat,
is
associated

with
healing
&
protection.

§  During
mummiﬁcation,
a
wax

or
bronze
plate
with
a
wedjat

carved
on
it
was
placed
over

the
embalming
incision
to

magically
heal
the
wound
in

the
afterlife.

§  Once
the
wedjat
was
in

place,
the
entire
body
was

then
covered
in
shrouds
&

bound
with
strips
of
linen

until
the
mummy
had

returned
to
its
original

size.

§  This
was
a
complicated

job,
could
take
as
long
as
a

week,
and
usually
required

1,000
yards’
worth
of
2
–

8”
wide
linen
strips.

§  After
the
week
of
wrapping

was
ﬁnished,
the
head
of
the

mummy
was
covered
with
a

portrait
mask.

§  This
was
designed

to
ensure

that
the
ka
would
recognize

the
body
in
the
afterlife.

§  Finally,
the
wrapped,
masked

mummy
was
placed
into
a

series
of
wooden
&
gilded

coﬃns
which
were

ultimately
placed
into
a

stone
sarcophagus.

§  The
deceased’s
sarcophagus
was

then
placed
inside
the
tomb’s

burial
chamber,
the
entrance
to

which
would
be
sealed
to
prevent

looting
or
theft.

§  Before
the
tomb
was
sealed,
the

deceased’s
family
members

deposited
food,
clothes,
furniture,

and
dishes
into
the
burial
chamber.

§  They
did
this
because
the

Egyptians
believed
the
deceased

would
need
the
same

accoutrements
in
the
afterlife
that

he
or
she
had
used
in
his
or
her

mortal
life.

Architecture of the
Afterlife
Erecting A Pharaoh’s Eternal Home

Architecture of the Afterlife
The Nile’s Shaping Inﬂuence
§  The
Nile
River
had
an

important
inﬂuence
in
the

geometry
of
ancient
Egyptian

architecture.

§  The
Nile
is
a
very
straight

river,
and
the
straightness
of

its
line
provided
the
ancient

Egyptians
with
both
a

symbolic
sense
of
direction
&

a
principle
for
application
in

the
creation
of
monumental

buildings.

Construction Systems
§  In
contrast,
Egyptian
monumental

construction
is
mainly
post-‐and-‐
beam.

§  This
is
found
mainly
in
pyramids,

tombs
&
temples.

§  Ironically,
columns
are
designed
to

look
like
plant
materials:

§  Their
shafts
resemble
bundles

of
plant
stems
tied
together.

§  Their
capitals
are
derived
from

the
lotus
bud,
the
papyrus

ﬂower,
or
the
palm
frond.

§  Great
importance
was
attached
to

relief
carving
&
it
was
an
integral

part
of
the
architecture.

§  Egyptian
tombs
were
the
most

outstanding
architectural

achievements
of
the
period.

§  In
addition
to
housing
the
deceased

Egyptians’
remains,
tombs
served
as

places
of
worship
for
the
Cult
of
the

Dead.

§  The
Egyptians
thought
that
their

pharaohs
became
gods
upon
their

deaths,
and
worshipped
them
as

such.

§  The
tomb
evolved
during
the
Old

Kingdom
from
the
mastaba,
through

the
stepped
pyramid,
to
the

renowned
ancient
Egyptian
pyramids.

§  The
name
mastaba
derived

from
the
name
for
the
steps
or

podiums
found
in
the
front
of

traditional
Egyptian
houses.

§  In
the
Old
Kingdom,
rich
&

noble
people
built
mastabas
for

their
burials
in
the
necropolis.

§  Above
ground,
the
mastaba

looks
like
a
large
bench
of

sunbaked
bricks
rising
about
30

feet
high,
with
a
ﬂat
roof
&

sloping
walls.

§  The
earliest
mastabas
were

decorated
with
painted

patterns
in
brilliant
colors.

§  Internally,
a
mastaba

consists
of
three
spaces:
an

underground

burial
chamber

&
an
above
ground
serdab
&

chapel.

§  The
burial
chamber
was

located
30
feet
below

ground
&
was
the
place
for

the
deceased’s
sarcophagus.

§  It
was
connected
to
the

serdab
&
chapel
above

ground
through
a
shaft.

§  The
mastaba’s
serdab
&

chapel
are
located
above-‐
ground.

§  The
serdab
is
a
room
where

the
ka
statue
of

the
dead

person
is
kept.

§  The
ka
statue
would
act
as
a

substitute
for
the

deceased’s
body
in
case
it

was
destroyed
and
was
also

the
focus
of
worship
by
the

deceased’s
family
members.

Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Step Pyramid of King Djoser

§  Egyptian
King
Djoser
was
a

powerful
pharaoh
of
the
third

dynasty
of
the
Old
Kingdom.

§  His
tomb,
known
as
the
Step

Pyramid
of
King
Djoser,
was

designed
by
Imhotep
(the

ﬁrst
named
artist
in
history)

in
2,667
BCE.

§  It
was
built
as
a
funeral

complex
at
the
necropolis
of

Saqqara.

§  Initially,
Imhotep
conceived

of
the
tomb
as
a
large

mastaba
of
stone.

§  Apparently,
King
Djoser
did

not
like
Imhotep’s
initial

idea,
so
instead
Imhotep

designed
a
series
of
layered

mastaba
“steps”
instead.

§  The
result
was
a
pyramid

with
ﬁve
sloping
tiers
set

upon
a
massive
mastaba

base.

§  As
a
result,
this
step
pyramid

acts
as
the
intermediate
step

between
the
mastaba
and
a

true
geometric
pyramid.

§  Sadly,
the
pharaoh’s

stockpile
of
treasures

were
looted
in

antiquity,
and
none
of

them
survive
today.

§  Recently,
however,
a

ka
statue
of
King

Djoser
was
found,

staring
out
through

peep
holes
in
his

serdab!

§  The
complex’s
actual

entrance
door
leads
to
a

long,
enclosed
hall

supported
by
two
rows
of

columns.

§  These
are
believed
to
be
the

oldest
surviving
stone

columns
in
history!

§  Cleverly,
the
architect,

Imhotep,
designed
the

columns
to
look
like
bundles

of
reeds
from
the
Nile.

§  After
the
completion
of
King
Djoser’s
Step

Pyramid
at
Saqqara,
subsequent
pharaohs

made
several
attempts
at
designing
&

building
purely
geometrical
pyramids
for

themselves
as
tombs.

§  Among
the
more
successful,
prominent

attempts
were
the
Pyramid
of
King
Huni
at

Meidum,
&
the
two
pyramids
built
by

Pharaoh
Snefru
at
Dashur.

Pyramid of King Huni at Meidum

Pyramid of King Huni at Meidum
§  It
was
King
Huni
made

the
ﬁrst
attempt
at

building
pure,

geometrical
Pyramid
at

Meidum
in
2637
BCE.

§  To
do
this,
he

constructed
a
seven-‐
stepped
pyramid
with
a

square
plan,
a
height
of

295’,
&
an
angle
of

incline
of
51°.

Snefru’s Bent Pyramid at Dahshur

Snefru’s Bent Pyramid at Dahshur
§  The
later
Pharaoh
Snefru

made
two
attempts
at

creating
a
true
pyramid.

§  His
ﬁrst
attempt
in
2,600

BCE,
the
Bent
Pyramid
at

Dahshur,
had
a
square
plan

with
a
height
of
334’.

§  Due
to
structural
instability

during
construction,
the

pyramid’s
sides
changed

angle
halfway
up,
which
led

to
its
being
nicknamed
the

“Bent
Pyramid”.

Snefru’s Red Pyramid at Dahshur

Snefru’s Red Pyramid at Dahshur
§  King
Snefru’s
second

pyramid
to
the
north,

known
today
as
the
Red

Pyramid,
is
the
tomb
in

which
the
pharaoh
was

actually
buried.

§  It
is
not
a
true
pyramid,

because
its
sides
have
a
very

low
pitch
of
43°
instead
of

52°,
making
it
look
stunted

or
squatty.

§  A
true
pyramid
has
an

incline
angle
of
52°.

The Pyramids at Giza

§  Construction
of
a
true

geometrical
pyramid
was
ﬁnally

achieved
during
reign
of
King

Cheops,
son
of
Snefru,
in
2,560

BCE.

§  His
pyramid
is
located,
along

with
the
other
most
famous
true

pyramids,
on
the
Giza
Plateau
on

the
west
bank
of
the
Nile.

§  Today,
King
Cheops’
Pyramid
is

nicknamed
“The
Great
Pyramid”

because
of
its
size.

§  The
pyramid
is
482’
high
on
a

plan
of
760’
square.

§  Eventually,
two
additional

pyramids
were
built
at
Giza

by
Cheops’
successors.

§  The
second
and
largest,
in

the
center,
was
built
by
King

Chefren,
King
Cheops’s
son.

§  The
third
and
smallest
was

built
by
King
Mycerinus,

Chefren’s
son.

§  Collectively,
the
three
are

referred
to
as
the
Pyramids

at
Giza.

§  The
three
are
aligned

diagonally
along
the

axis
set
by
the
Great

Pyramid.

§  The
three
small

pyramids
located

close
by
were
built

for
the
pharaohs’

queens.

§  All
the
pyramids
were

designed
as
part
of
a

dynastic
funeral
complex
for

the
burial
of
the
pharaohs.

§  Today,
Chefren’s
complex
is

the
best
preserved
example.

§  His
complex
consist
of
three

interconnected
units:

v A
valley
temple
by
the

Nile
where
the
pharaoh’s

body
was
embalmed

v A
pyramid
mortuary

temple
for
rituals

v A
long
narrow
causeway

connecting
the
two

The Great Sphinx
§  Also
located
at
Giza
is
the

Great
Sphinx
with
the
body

of
a
lion
&
the
head
of

Chefren.

§  The
reason
for
its

construction
&
its
purpose

are
unclear.

§  A
theory
holds
that
it
was

produced
from
leftover

pyramid
materials
that
were

a
applied
to
an
existing

stone.

§  It
may
also
have
been
carved

to
stand
guard
over
the

temple
&
tomb
of
Chefren.

The Period of Pyramids Passes
§  With
King
Mycerinus’s
death,
the
era
of
the
pyramid
ended

for
the
most
part.

§  More
pyramids
were
built
by
later
pharaohs,
but
they
were

smaller
&
less
complex.

§  Also,
later
pharaohs
could
not
aﬀord
the
cost
of
huge

pyramid
construction.

§  Of
even
greater
concern,
ancient
grave
robbers
quickly

learned
how
to
break
into
the
pyramids
&
steal
the
goods

buried
with
pharaohs.

§  The
end
of
the
Old
Kingdom
therefore
marked
the
end
of

the
great
era
of
Egyptian
pyramid
construction.

Middle Kingdom Temples & Tombs
§  Two
types
of
underground

tombs
were
built
by
pharaohs
&

nobles
during
the
Middle
&
New

Kingdom
periods:
Rock-‐cut

tombs
&
shaft
tombs.

§ 
A
rock-‐cut
tomb
is
a
tomb
that

is
carved
into
the
earth
itself.

§  Many
of
these
are
found
along

the
western
cliﬀs
of
the
Nile.

§  Good
examples
are
the
30+

rock-‐cut
tombs
at
Beni
Hassan,

built
for
royal
governors
from

the
21st
–
19th
centuries
BCE.

Middle Kingdom Temples & Tombs
§  Later,
shaft
tombs
were

constructed
as
a
complex

series
of
underground

corridors
&
rooms,
cut

into
the
mountains
in
the

Valley
of
the
Kings
at
Deir

Al-‐Bahri.

§  Their
large
number
of

rooms
&
complicated

arrangement
were

deliberate:
they
were
a

maze
or
puzzle
to
confuse

grave
robbers!

ART1204 Architecture of the Afterlife: Embalming & Tombs in Ancient Egypt

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ART1204 Architecture of the Afterlife: Embalming & Tombs in Ancient Egypt