Life After Death — The Sojourn in the Tomb — Death Makes Its Impression on Religion

Life after Death—The Sojourn in the Tomb—Death Makes Its Impression on Religion

(Period: earliest times to 25th century B.C.)

Earliest Egyptian thought revealed in mortuary practices—The conception of a person: ka (or protecting genius), body and soul—Reconstitution of personality after death—Maintenance of the dead in the tomb—Tomb-building—Earliest royal tombs—Tombs of the nobles—Earliest embalmment and burial—Royal aid in mortuary equipment—Tomb endowment—Origin of the pyramid, greatest symbol of the Sun-god—The pyramid and its buildings—Its dedication and protection—Its endowment, ritual, and maintenance—Inevitable decay of the pyramid—Survival of death a matter of material equipment.