Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the

ramesside period

Essay Structure
Tomb layout image- Egypt: The Tomb of Ramesses II’s Sons, Part II. (n.d.). Www.touregypt.net.
Retrieved March 23, 2023, from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/kv52.htm

Inside look of tomb image- Mark, J. (2017, July 17). Tomb Robbing in Ancient Egypt. World
History Encyclopedia.
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1095/tomb-robbing-in-ancient-egypt/

Tomb fresco image- ‌Garland, R. (2020, July 26). Afterlife in Ancient Egypt: When the Dead Live.
Wondrium Daily.
https://www.wondriumdaily.com/afterlife-in-ancient-egypt-when-the-dead-live/

Book of gates image- ‌Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, November 7). Book of Gates. Wikipedia;
Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Gates

Papyrus scroll image- ‌Magazine, S., & Davis-Marks, I. (n.d.). Oldest Known Mummification
Manual Reveals How Egyptians Embalmed the Face. Smithsonian Magazine.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-egyptian-papyrus-demystifies-emb
alming-techniques-180977147/

sarco‌ugus - (2023). Metmuseum.org. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/684755

https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/judgementofthedead/
https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/bookgates//
https://www.oup.com.au/books/secondary/humanities/9780190302986-antiquity-2-year-12-stude
nt-book-obook-assess
https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/culture.pdf
https://escholarship.org/content/qt70g428wj/qt70g428wj.pdf
https://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/newkingdom/religion.html#:~:text=Egyptians%20were%20po
lytheists%20%2D%20they%20worshipped,Thebes%20during%20the%20New%20Kingdom.
hurley, toni, metcalfe, phillipa, m, c, & r, j. (2000). antiquity 2 (oxford,

Ed.; second edition, Vol. 2) [Review of antiquity 2].

J. A wilson, The culture of Ancient Egypt, university of chicago press, chicago, 1951, P.66.

Bradley, P. (2019). The Ancient World Transformed (Cambridge

University Press, Ed.) [Review of The Ancient World Transformed].

 Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the
ramesside period
Quotes

The artificial mummification process started in the Fourth Dynasty when

the Old Kingdom reached its peak in the New Kingdom.

By Gomaa Abdel-Maksouda and Abdel-Rahman El-Amin, from , Faculty

of Archaeology, Cairo University

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abdelrahman-Elamin/publication/28

1404720_A_REVIEW_ON_THE_MATERIALS_USED_DURING_MUMM

IFICATION_PROCESSES_IN_ANCIENT_EGYPT/links/5b57c605a6fdcc

f0b2f33ceb/A-REVIEW-ON-THE-MATERIALS-USED-DURING-MUMMI

FICATION-PROCESSES-IN-ANCIENT-EGYPT.pdf

Notes
❖ Assess the significance of evidence
❖ Analyze and interpret (different perspectives)
❖ Form a judgment (assess) of the achievements of the ramesside period
❖ Demonstrate historical knowledge

introduction -

thesis statement link to question

outline main points
Link to first para
Death and burial ritual was exceptionally complex and significant to Ancient Egypts new
kingdom Ramesside Period. As sources show, the achievements of the New Kingdom Ramesside
period were incredible, in innovation of technology and upkeep of cultural practice, the
Ancient Egyptians had a highly resolved view of death and the concept of afterlife, a complex
 Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the
ramesside period

respect for the dead and a significant ritual of mummification. This amazing period in the new
kingdom shows these concepts through the technology, infrastructure, archeology and design
they left behind. We can extrapolate information from them now, helping us form the view of
this great ancient society’s complex and significant concept of death and ritual.

P1- the afterlife and how

Topic sentence/ point:
Effect:
Cause:
Supporting evidence:
1. Writings in tombs describing the process of afterlife
2. Frescos on the walls of the tombs
3. Belongings taken into afterlife
Elaboration assess significance & link to point:
Assess Complexity and significance
Relevant to the ramesside period
concluding sentence & link to next paragraph

The Ancient Egyptians had a rich, complex and greatly significant understanding of death
and the afterlife which was deeply connected to their religion. This cultural belief and
practice was upheld and innovated during theRamesside period as one of the period's
achievements. The belief in the afterlife is just one example of the complexity of their
concept of death. The examples of this belief, the book of gates, the tombs and the frescoes
inside the tombs, show the significance the afterlife holds in the new kingdom Ramesside
Period. The tombs were monumental buildings*1 that were most commonly dug underground
with complex layouts and decadent interior frescos and furniture. An incredible effort had to
take place to build these tombs as it was a greatly significant aspect of the new kingdom's
ramesside period. Inside these tombs there's an equally important practice which is
frescoes*2 depicting the process which happens before you enter the afterlife called the
 Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the
ramesside period

journey to the underworld. These incredibly complex and large paintings would have taken a
great deal of time, money and training to create. Not to mention the detailed story is
incredibly complex and resolved, this mythology had taken centuries of conceptualizing
showing the great significance these frescoes hold in the society of the ramesside period.
The New Kingdom developed the ideas of the afterlife more than ever through the Book of
Gates*3. The book of gates was a religious text made in the new kingdom period documenting
the process a person takes from life through to the afterlife, a process called the journey to
the underworld. Through the complexity of detail in the text and the sophistication of the
documentation we see this mythology, as a reflection of the concept of death and ritual, was
an exceptionally prominent part of the Ramesside period's culture. These examples of the
materialization of the concept of death and burial practice reflect that this concept was
carried through the society in many different ways. The complexity of these concepts are seen
through the great detail in these innovations and the efforts put towards conceptualizing,
creating and upholding them shows the primary significance this had in the new kingdom
Ramesside Period and is just one of the period's many achievements.

P2- mummification

Topic sentence/ point

Effect:
Cause:
Supporting evidence:
- Archeology of mummies
- description/ guide for the process
- New kingdom innovation of taking out the brains
Elaboration & link to point
Complexity and significance
 Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the
ramesside period
Relevant to the ramesside period
concluding sentence & link to essay question
EXTRA LINK TO NEXT PARA

The concept of death and the burial rituals are mainly characterized in Ancient Egypt by
their Mummies. Mummification, the preservation of the body after death, is a process
followed religiously by Egyptians that was carried on and innovated in the New Kingdom
Ramesside period. The Mummification process was an incredibly profound part of the
society, the process was very complex and significant to the concept of death and burial ritual
practice in the Rammeside period. This practice was of great significance to the ramesside
period as they made an innovation to the ritual that was continued through all later egyptian
eras. The process of Mummification or embalming was done by curtain nobel people such as
priests. The process was symbolic to their passover to the afterlife and was a sacred act, the
specific process performed took 70 days to complete. The process is understood to be
documented and passes down over and over again and recently archeologists have found a
piece of papyrus scroll*4, thought to be 20ft long, documenting the embalming process. The
scroll dated back to 1450 BC, this process would have been performed in the ramesside
period with documentation just like this. Alongside the process the sarcophagus that the
mummy was finally laid into reveals to us the significance and complexity of the concept of
death and burial ritual in the ramesside period. The sarcophagus*5 are designed to look like
the person in an idealized way whereas being coated in religious symbolism provides them a
good passover into the afterlife. The decadent design that took a large effort to produce is an
apt example to how significant this burial ritual was to the new kingdom ramesside period
and the complexity of such ritual.
The Egyptians of the Ramesside period innovated muffication by making the rovoval of the
brains common place, this considerably improved preservation of the body and became a
primary characteristic of the mummification process, converting this process was a
significant cultural ritual of the period. This innovation along with others made the new
kingdom rammed period the peak of mummification in ancient egyptian history, reputable
scholars from the faculty of archeology in the University of Cairo, Egypt state;
 Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the
ramesside period

“The artificial mummification process started in the Fourth Dynasty when the Old Kingdom
reached its peak in the New Kingdom.”
- Gomaa Abdel-Maksouda & Abdel-Rahman El-Amin,, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University

Proving this a fantastic achievement of the new kingdom ramesside period. The plentiful
evidence of the Egyptian mummification process shows the concept of death and the ritual of
burial where both incredibly complex and significant to the ramesside period.

Conclusion 100w
Thesis statement
main points
final comments

The new kingdom Rammeside Period had many great achievements, the concept of
death and the burial rituals were not only complex and significant but upheld and
expanded greatly in this period's innovations. Through the plentiful evidence we have
of both mummification and the concept of the afterlife we can see that they are small
anecdotes to a rich concept of death and sacred ritual of burial. The ramesside period
was a wealthy period in the ancient history of egypt and as we see through sources it
was one of deep religion and culture with many great innovative achievements.

Table

Photo sources Depictions of osiris Sources

Mummies casket
Tomb layouts photo of scroll
Frescos in tobs Quote about brains
 Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the
ramesside period

Book of thames

Concept of death in the belief Osiris Burial ritual,

of the afterlife mummification process

Central to all egyptian

funerary practices was the mummies casket
belief in the afterlife This showed the idea that the decoration -

During the old kingdom the pharos are the finest being on
earth and are values more as Mummification process-
afterlife was a royal privilege A fragment of the nearly
people 20-foot long papyrus scroll
only
The Papyrus Carlsberg
In the new kingdom the The tombs created for pharos Collection, University of
Copenhagen
afterlife became available to are in tribute to their legacy and
all that could afford it, the are scattered with symbolism
democratization of the
1 The new kingdom is when
afterlife
most of the tombs were erected
Curating your final resting
place that was thought of as New kingdom innovation
“The new kingdom funeral-
your house of eternity -
after mourning the mummy
These preparations made for Quote- a new kingdom
takes its journey across the
innovation, which
a good burial and consisted of
nile to the west or side of considerably improved
nobel objects/ memorabilia
death of the nile preservation was the
and food/ resources removal of the brian.
Mourners come on this
Photo sources hurley, toni,
journey with the mummy
Tomb layouts
across the symbolic journey metcalfe, phillipa, m,
Frescos in tobs
across the nile”
Book of thames c, & r, j. (2000).

1
J. A wilson, The culture of Ancient Egypt, university of chicago press, chicago, 1951, P.66.
Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the
ramesside period

antiquity 2 (oxford,

Ed.; second edition,

Vol. 2) [Review of

antiquity 2].

➢
➢ Central to all egyptian funerary practices was the belief in the afterlife
➢ During the old kingdom the afterlife was a royal privilege only
➢ In the new kingdom the afterlife became available to all that could afford it, the
2
democratization of the afterlife
➢ Curating your final resting place that was thought of as your house of eternity
➢ These preparations made for a good burial and consisted of nobel objects/
memorabilia and food/ resources

➢ Mummification- a new kingdom innovation, which considerably improved

preservation was the removal of the brian.
➢ The new kingdom funeral- after mourning the mummy takes its journey across
the nile to the west or side of death of the nile
➢ Mourners come on this journey with the mummy across the symbolic journey
across the nile with offerings

2
J. A wilson, The culture of Ancient Egypt, university of chicago press, chicago, 1951, P.66.
Q/ how complex and significant was the concept of death and burial ritual in the
ramesside period
➢ The valley of the kings - valley of tombs on the west side of the bank a final
burial place for the greats and the pharos

structure
Afterlife as example if complexity of Book of gates
the concept of death and significance
in its place in society

Frescos in tombs

Belongings taken into the afterlife

Mummification Archeology of mummies

Descriptions of the process

New kingdom innovation of taking out

brains

Tombs Valley of the kings

The thing the mummy is put in

Plans for the tombs