<p><strong>The Function of the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife</strong></p>
<p>The Ancient Egyptians believed that mummification was the only way into the afterlife, and a way for a person to enjoy their time in the afterlife, with their body preserved. Once the body died, the soul and personality would go to the Kingdom of the Dead. In order to be rewarded in the afterlife, the soul would be required to have a “sin-free heart” and the ability to recite things from the Book of the Dead. If one’s heart was light and good, they would pass; if the heart was heavy and filled with sin, they would be diminished by a demon. Those who pass on are judged by the gods and then welcomed into the underworld, where their will continue their lives, living similarly as they did when they were alive, and working jobs and coming together as civilization to continue “life” in the underworld. Important people were often buried with tools to use in the afterlife, as well as their servants, living or dead. This seems to extend these servants' duties into the afterlife. For them, the function of the afterlife seems to be to continue serving their master into death.</p>
<p>For the Egyptians, the afterlife was a new life that began after life on earth ended.  For an Egyptian who was fortunate enough to prepare for his funeral, objects that accompanied him to the afterlife served an important purpose and were vital to the afterlife.   These were generally objects that were religious in nature, and performed important functions in the afterlife.  Some of these objects were amulets, <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>canopic</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> jars, <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>shabti</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> dolls and the Book of the Dead.</p>
<p>Amulets had many shapes and purposes, and were placed in the mummy case with great care.  The most popular amulets for the Egyptians were scarabs, which were beetles that rolled dung balls that symbolized the path of the sun.  Headrest amulets were also common because they were miniature versions of what the Egyptians slept on in their life on earth.  Some amulets were inscribed on papyrus and were hung around the neck of the mummified corpse as a form of protection in the afterlife.  An “all-seeing eye” called a <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>wedjet</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> represented the gouged eye of the god Horus.  The doctor to the gods could not heal Horus’s eye, so a part of each <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>wedjet</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> amulet is missing.  Animal amulets, such as a lizard that regenerated its tail and a snake that shed its skin, became symbols to the Egyptians because they reflected the afterlife’s function of renewal.</p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Canopic</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> jars held the organs of the dead.  Each organ was removed from the corpse, desiccated, and put in a jar.  Organs such as the liver, stomach, intestines, and lungs each had a specific god that served as protector of that organ.  The gods all had different heads, which served as models for the stoppers for the jars.</p>
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Shabti</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> dolls were small dolls posed in such a way that they looked as if they were performing some type of labor that the body might be called upon to do in the afterlife.  They were shaped as male or female, and represented an anonymous worker.  Inscriptions on the <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>shabti</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> dolls were spells that described the function of the particular <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>shabti</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.  The purpose of the <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>shabti</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> dolls was to substitute for the deceased person when asked to work.  The number of <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>shabtis</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> buried with an Egyptian varied greatly.  Some were buried with a few, while others were buried with hundreds.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115.0%; font-family: arial , helvetica , sans-serif;">The Book of the Dead consisted of spells and references to the afterlife that helped the deceased navigate through the underworld and into the afterlife.  It depicted Egyptian beliefs about the nature of death and the afterlife.  Some of the spells were inscribed on the walls of the tomb or on the sarcophagus.  The Book of the Dead was an important source of information about the beliefs of the Egyptians.  It was written in hieroglyphics on a roll of papyrus, and contained illustrations that showed the deceased and the journey into the afterlife.</span></p>