Egyptian life

Chapter 4

Once he was purified, the priest could perform his sacred duties.
The Priests’ Role in Burial Practices Priests had a special role to play in burial practices. Egyptians believed in a
life after death. They thought that in the afterlife, a person’s body remained with his or her dead spirit. For this
reason, the Egyptians used a method called embalming to preserve bodies from decay. Priests oversaw this sacred
ritual.
The embalming process had many steps. First, the embalmers removed the body’s organs, such as the brain, lungs,
and liver. They used hooks to pull the brain out through the nostrils. Only the heart was left in the body. Egyptians
believed that the gods used the heart to judge a dead person’s soul.
Then, the organs were packed in jars to preserve them. The organs and body were dried out with a special salt called
natron.
After about 70 days, the embalmers washed and oiled the body. Then they wrapped it in hundreds of yards of linen.
The embalmers decorated the wrapped body, or mummy, with pieces of jewelry and protective charms. Often, they
placed a mask over the head. Finally, they spread a
black, gooey gum over the body and wrapped it a final
time.
The mummy was then ready for burial. First, it was
placed in a wooden box. The box was then stored inside
a large stone coffin called a sarcophagus. Because the
ancient Egyptians believed that the afterlife was much
like life in this world, they buried other items along with
the box or coffin. These included food and drink,
furniture, statues, jewelry, gold, clothes, games, and
mirrors.
Not all Egyptians could afford such complicated burials.
But even poor Egyptians wrapped their dead in cloth and
buried them with loaves of bread and other items they
thought would be needed in the afterlife.
9.5 – Scribes
In the social pyramid, scribes were one level below priests. Scribes were Egypt’s official writers and record keepers.
They were highly respected and well paid. Most scribes worked for the government. Others worked for priests or
nobles.
Only men were allowed to be scribes. They came from all classes of society. Becoming a scribe was one of the few
ways that men could rise above their parents’ social class.
Scribe Schools Boys who wanted to become scribes had to attend scribe schools. The schools were run by priests.
Most students came from artisan or merchant families. Very few boys came from the peasant class.