Canopic Jars Essay

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One inescapable fact of being human is our mortality; when it is our time to leave this world, all of us must face death. Yet, what comes after we leave behind our earthly bonds? Do our souls travel to a new place? We humans are not good at dealing with things that we cannot explain, and we are always searching for ways to make sense of our surroundings and existence. Different cultures around the world have tried to give death a meaning, and a reason; giving afterlife a sense of peace, so that it does not sound so intimidating. Ancient Egyptians seemed to have had very elaborate thoughts about the Afterlife. It was an important part of their everyday lives because the way that they lived on Earth affected their potential Afterlife. Mummification process was an important aspect of the journey to the Afterlife. Every small part of a deceased body was preserved, even the internal organs which were placed in canopic jars. The Ancient Egyptians believed that every human being was made up of five different elements; the Ba, the Ka, the Akh, the Name and the Shadow. After the death of a person, all those parts separated and the only way to protect them back together was if the mummification process and burial was done right. If the soul had a safe passage to the Afterlife, all the parts would be safe. The Ka was Egyptian concept of vital essence, that which distinguishes the difference between a living and a dead person. The Ka left the body of a person when she or he died. The Ba was the soul, but also the unique qualities of each person. The Ba had a very important mission when the person died; it was responsible for allowing deceased to leave his tomb and rejoin his Ka. The Ba was also able to transform into a bird with human head and fly between the tomb and the Underworld. The Akh was the form in which the blessed dead lived on in the Afterlife. It was also the

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