User:Knl18/sandbox

Article Evaluation

I am evaluating the article Ancient Egyptian funerary practices.

The lead section for this article is clearly neutral, as in it is not biased and does not have a underlying motive, but it is rather vague, and messy. It mentions a bunch of ideas and practices that the Ancient Egyptians engaged in, but it messy terms, such as "protocols," when referring to a proper Egyptian funeral. It briefly mentions judgement of the deceased by the gods, which is not entirely relevant to the article, as it is centered on how Ancient Egyptians prepared bodies, buried them, and the rituals they engaged in throughout the funerary process.

There is a section, at the very end of the article, titled "Damnation" where judgement by the gods is discussed. This section is super short (4-5 sentences) and doesn't provide much information, although severals sources are cited. In this case, I think that mentioning this idea in the lead section is unnecessary, given that the article gives little information about it. Topics like mummifications and burial rituals should be included more in the lead section because the article provides much more information about them.

In the "History" section of the article, there is a lot of vague language used to explain the differing views of Egyptian funerary practices. Phrases like "Scholars believe" and "some also believe" are used, and the scholars and some people are not directly referred to. There is a citation for this piece of the article, but the citation is not linked to the original source (it is from a book). I would have to manually search for the author and title of the source to find where the information came from. Another problem I see in the history section is that the writer(s) try to jump to conclusions with the information that they give. For example, when discussing the afterlife, the article talks about some "archaeological evidence" (which is not cited) showing that not all ancient Egyptians made it to the afterlife. The writer(s) goes on to explain why this is, without any evidence to back it up: "This may be because..." Other words like "probably" are concerning to me, as well, because it seems like the writer(s) are trying to guess at the information about this topic. I definitely think that the History section, which is vastly important for this article in particular, needs to be brushed up a bit. Nonetheless, the information is all relevant and not heavily biased in any direction.

As the article progresses, the information becomes more detailed and specific, and included many more citations. The writer(s) describe in detail what some of the tombs looked like and what types of items would be buried with a body, depending on social class and gender. The article talks a lot about extravagant goods that were buried with bodies of high-class Egyptians, but does not mention how lower-class people were buried, or what their death process was like. This issue is brought up in the Talk page of the article by one person, in 2013. It is possible that there is not evidence about how poorer people were transitioned into death, but by picking up on context clues about how the funerary process evolved for the upper class, I can infer that the deceased lower class people possibly stayed in the realm of just being buried in the sand, plain and simply, while the deceased upper-class people upgraded to being stored in elaborate tombs with intricate decorations and luxurious burial goods.

I like how the article separates information by historical period, so one can go through and read through the evolution of Egyptian funerary practices. In the lead section, it was mentioned that some practices were abandoned as new ones became more popular, so I can clearly see that through each progressive section of the article. Although it is nicely organized, there is not a whole lot of information in each section. Some of the history sections are maybe 5 sentences, while others are multi-paragraphed. I know that there is probably scattered information about this topic, because a lot of evidence has not survived, or has not been discovered, but aesthetically, the article looks choppy in some areas.

The sections on mummification, burial rituals, and burial goods are great. There is a lot of content, and a lot of cited sources. I think these sections should move up in the organization of the article, because they come up late in the article, and these topics are quintessential to Ancient Egyptian funerary practices. In these sections, though, there are some areas where it seems that there should be a citation, and maybe the citation comes sentences later, but I think it may be necessary to add in the citation more frequently within larger bodies of text, even if just one is used.

In the References section, only a few citations are linked to an external website, while the others are books. It is hard to fact check information that comes from books without having the books in your hand. The links to the online articles all work just fine.

The Talk page of this article is not very extensive, but many important points are brought up. However, I don't think that all of the points were addressed. As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of information about burial of the upper-class, kings, and clergy, but nothing about how regular people were transitioned into death. Someone in the talk page mentions this issue, but I don't think anyone addressed it. Nonetheless, just by looking at the history of the article, a ton of people have been editing away at this article very recently.

Knl18 (talk) 18:27, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

Additions to "Mummification" section of Ancient Egyptian funerary practices

Sluglett, J. (1990). Mummification in Ancient Egypt. West of England Medical Journal, 105(4), 117–119.

• Four sons of Horus, each had the heads of different animals, and guarded different organs
  • Imsety, human-headed, guarded liver
  • Hapy, ape-headed, guarded lungs
  • Duamutef, jackel-headed, guarded stomach
  • Qebhseneuf, hawk-headed, guarded small and large intestines

Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt by Ann Rosalie David, pg. 152

• Sometimes the four canopic jars were placed into a canopic chest, and buried with the mummified body. A canopic chest resembled a "miniature coffin" and was intricately painted. The Ancient Egyptians believed that by burying the deceased with their organs, they may rejoin with them in the afterlife.

Potential topics

Canopic jars

• Create a section on religious significance
• Add to the "use and design" section
• Reference discoveries of canpoic jars

Religion and abortion

• Buddhism and abortion
  • Add information about karmic weight of abortion
  • Add more to "scriptural views" section

Youth suicide

• Add in an intervention section/add to the prevention section
• Add a section on psychological factors/add to the epidemiology section

Planned contributions to Ancient Egyptian funerary practices and Ancient Egyptian Religion (and maybe Ancient Egyptian concept of the soul)

Ancient Egyptian funerary practices

• Although this article seems pretty developed, it is rated a start class article because there is so much information missing

• Add to section "Burial rituals" and "Burial goods"
  • Make a clearer distinction between rituals carried out by the rich vs the poor
  • There is so much info on Ancient Egyptian burial rituals, it could be its own separate article
    • When you search "Ancient Egyptian burial rituals" in the Wikipedia search bar, it redirects right to Ancient Egyptian funerary practices
  • Connect the signification of burial goods to the afterlife
    • What did each signify for the afterlife? What did it benefit the deceased?
  • Expand upon the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and its significance for the afterlife
    • Many of the sources I found reference this ritual and it's importance for the deceased's experience in the afterlife
• Add to section on "Damnation"
  • Explain in more detail what this means, and what the "underworld" is like - right now there is a short/vague description
  • Describe judgment and Gods who perform judgement
  • Describe the Books of the underworld/netherworld: Amuduat, the Book of Gates, and the Book of Taverns
• Maybe make a section on the Afterlife
  • The word afterlife is thrown around all over this article, but no where is it actually broken down and described
  • Talk about Gods associated with the afterlife
• Expand upon mummification section
  • This section needs a lot more citations!
  • Make descriptions clearer/add more detail
  • This is a very important/hefty piece of Ancient Egyptian death in general, so it needs to be built on a lot
• Expand upon The Book of the Dead in the "funerary texts" section... possibly add onto Ancient Egyptian funerary texts
  • Within this page, there are links to other pages that expand upon different funerary texts. Some are developed pages, while others aren't
  • I could add onto a couple of the articles that are stub articles, such as Pyramid texts, Coffin texts, or the Book of Gates
  • I think someone in the class has already claimed Pyramid Texts and Coffin texts

I am also interested in editing Ancient Egyptian concept of the soul

• This article is also rated start class and ties into the afterlife a lot

Ancient Egyptian Religion

For this article, I mainly want to expand on the Ancient Egyptian concepts of death, the afterlife, and the underworld. These topics are touched upon briefly in this article, but not in much detail. This article focuses mostly on history, scripture, and rituals not pertaining to death. I think that I could add to this article a lot by incorporating Ancient Egyptian views on death and future life.

Bibliography

Budge, E. A. (2014). Egyptian religion: Egyptian ideas of the future life. London: Routledge.

Grajetzki, W. (2009). Burial customs in ancient Egypt: life in death for rich and poor. London: Duckworth.

Harrington, N. (2013). Living with the dead: ancestor worship and mortuary ritual in ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxbow Books.

Hornung, E. (1999). The ancient Egyptian books of the afterlife. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. <https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7j2PVRZ4ETUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=ancient+egyptian+afterlife&ots=VXIvy3WvTu&sig=q9k67kuhqiVhNxeJdmAaFxkNVf0#v=onepage&q=ancient%20egyptian%20afterlife&f=false>

Taylor, J. H. (2001). Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt. Chicago: The Univ. of Chicago Press.

Teeter, E. (2012). Religion and ritual in ancient Egypt. Cambridge, Mass.: Cambridge Univ. Press.

Tomorad, M. (2009). Ancient Egyptian funerary practices. The Heritage of Egypt, 2, 12-28. <https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/5486514/Tomorad_-_Heritage_of_Egypt_May_2009.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1519958494&Signature=TrKEeErCwWShpuLPKVw6JOyTNQI%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DAncient_Egyptian_funerary_practices_from.pdf>

Sources recommended from Talk:Ancient Egyptian funerary practices

Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity (1998) - Aidan Dodson

The Tomb in Ancient Egypt (2008) - Salima Ikram.

Relevant articles from the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology:

"Osiris and the Deceased","Judgment after Death"

"Democratization of the Afterlife", "Funerary Rituals (Pharaonic Period)", and "Funerary Rituals (Ptolemaic and Roman Periods)"

Week 7: Article Draft Ancient Egyptian funerary practices (for peer review)

Hello peer reviewers! Everything in this section is what I have ready for peer review. Let me know if you have any questions. -Karina

Funerary Rituals

Greek historians Herodotus (5th century BC) and Diodorus Siculus (1st century BC) provide the most complete, surviving evidence of how Ancient Egyptians approached the preservation of a dead body. Before embalming, or preserving the dead body as to delay or prevent decay, mourners, especially if the deceased had high status, covered their faces with mud, and paraded around town while beating their chests. If the wife of a high status male died, her body was not embalmed until three or four days have passed, because this prevented abuse of the corpse. In the case that someone drowned or was attacked, embalming was carried out immediately on their body, in a sacred and careful manner. This kind of death was viewed as venerated, and only priests was permitted to touch the body.

After embalming, the mourners may have carried out a ritual involving an enactment of judgement during the Hour Vigil, with volunteers to play the role of Osiris and his enemy brother Seth, as well as the gods Isis, Nephthys, Horus, Anubis, and Thoth. As the tale goes, Seth was envious of his brother Osiris for being granted the throne before him, so he plotted to kill him. Osiris's wife, Isis, battled back and forth with Seth to gain possession of Osiris's body, and through this struggle, Osiris's spirit was lost. Nonetheless, Osiris resurrected and was reinstated as a god. In addition to the reenactment of the judgement of Osiris, numerous funeral processions were conducted throughout the nearby necropolis, which symbolized different sacred journeys.

A funeral procession depicted in the Book of the Dead

The funeral procession to to the tomb generally included cattle pulling the body in a sled-type of carrier, with friends and family to follow. During the procession the priest burned incense and poured milk before the dead body. Upon arrival to the tomb, and essentially the next life, the priest performed the Opening of The Mouth ceremony on the deceased. The deceased's head was turned towards the south, and the body was imagined to be a statue replica of the deceased. Opening the mouth of the deceased symbolized allowing the person to speak and defend themselves during the judgment process. Goods were then offered to the deceased to conclude the ceremony.

Embalming

The preservation of a dead body was critical if the deceased wanted a chance at acceptance into the afterlife. Within the Ancient Egyptian concept of the soul, ka, which represented vitality, leaves the body once the person dies. Only if the body is embalmed in a specific fashion will ka return to the deceased body, and rebirth will take place. The embalmers received the body after death, and in a systematized manner, prepared it for mummification. The family and friends of the deceased had a choice of options that ranged in price for the preparation of the body, similar to the process at modern funeral homes. Next, the embalmers escorted the body to ibw, translated to “place of purification,” a tent in which the body was washed, and then per nefer, “the House of Beauty,” where mummification took place.

Mummification

ORIGINAL VERSION COPIED FROM Ancient Egyptian funerary practices:

This process was available for anyone who could afford it. It was believed that even those who could not afford this process could still enjoy the afterlife with the right reciting of spells. The most classic and common method of mummification dates back to the 18th Dynasty. The first step was to remove the internal organs and liquid so that the body would not decay. The embalmers took out the brain through a process named excerebration by inserting a sharp object in the nostril, breaking through it into the brain and then liquefying it. They threw out the brain because they thought that the heart did all the thinking. The next step was to remove the internal organs, the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines, and place them in canopic jars with lids shaped like the heads of the protective deities, the four sons of Horus: Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, and Qebhseneuf. Imsety was human-headed, and guarded the liver; Hapy was ape-headed, and guarded the lungs; Duamutef was jackel-headed, and guarded the stomach; Qebhseneuf was hawk-headed, and guarded the small and large intestines.^[25] Sometimes the four canopic jars were placed into a canopic chest, and buried with the mummified body. A canopic chest resembled a "miniature coffin" and was intricately painted. The Ancient Egyptians believed that by burying the deceased with their organs, they may rejoin with them in the afterlife.^[26] The heart stayed in the body, because in the hall of judgment it would be weighed against the feather of Ma'at. After the body was washed with wine, it was stuffed with bags of natron. The dehydration process took 40 days.^[27]

The second part of the process took 30 days. This was the time where the deceased turned into a semi divine being, and all that was left in the body from the first part was removed, followed by applying first wine and then oils. The oils were for ritual purposes, as well as preventing the limbs and bones from breaking while being wrapped. The body was sometimes colored with a golden resin. This protected the body from bacteria and insects. This was also based on the belief that divine beings had flesh of gold. The body was wrapped in bandages with amulets while a priest recited prayers and burned incense. The dressing provided physical protection and the wealthier even had a burial mask of their head. Funerary texts, such as The Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead contained spells in which acted as an instructional manual on how to apply the amulets and linen dressings. The 70 days process are connected to Osiris and the length the star Sothis was absent from the sky.^[28]

WITH MY EDITS:

The process of mummification was available for anyone who could afford it. It was believed that even those who could not afford this process could still enjoy the afterlife with the right reciting of spells. Mummification existed in three different processes, ranging from most expensive, moderately expensive, and most simplistic, or cheapest. The most classic, common, and most expensive method of mummification dates back to the 18th Dynasty. The first step was to remove the internal organs and liquid so that the body would not decay. The embalmers took out the brain through a process named excerebration by inserting a metal hook through the nostril, breaking through it into the brain. They removed as much as they could with the hook, and the rest they liquefied with drugs and drained out. They threw out the brain because they thought that the heart did all the thinking. The next step was to remove the internal organs, the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines, and place them in canopic jars with lids shaped like the heads of the protective deities, the four sons of Horus: Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, and Qebhseneuf. Imsety was human-headed, and guarded the liver; Hapy was ape-headed, and guarded the lungs; Duamutef was jackel-headed, and guarded the stomach; Qebhseneuf was hawk-headed, and guarded the small and large intestines.^[25] Sometimes the four canopic jars were placed into a canopic chest, and buried with the mummified body. A canopic chest resembled a "miniature coffin" and was intricately painted. The Ancient Egyptians believed that by burying the deceased with their organs, they may rejoin with them in the afterlife.^[26] Other times, the organs were cleaned and cleansed, and the returned back into the body. The body cavity was then rinsed and cleaned with wine and an array of spices. The body was sewn up with aromatic plants and spices left inside. The heart stayed in the body, because in the hall of judgment, it would be weighed against the feather of Ma'at. After the body was washed with wine, it was stuffed with bags of natron. The dehydration process took 40 days.^[27]

The second part of the process took 30 days. This was the time where the deceased turned into a semi divine being, and all that was left in the body from the first part was removed, followed by applying first wine and then oils. The oils were for ritual purposes, as well as for preventing the limbs and bones from breaking while being wrapped. The body was sometimes colored with a golden resin, which protected the body from bacteria and insects. Additionally, this practice was based on the belief that divine beings had flesh of gold. Next, the body was wrapped in linen cut into strips with amulets while a priest recited prayers and burned incense. The linen was adhered to the body using gum, opposed to a glue. The dressing provided the body physical protection from the elements, and depending on how wealthy the deceased's family was, the deceased could be dressed with an ornamented funeral mask and shroud. Special care was given to the head, hands, feet, and genitals, as contemporary mummies reveal extra wrappings and paddings in these areas. Mummies were identified via small, wooden name-tags tied typically around the deceased's neck. The 70-day process is connected to Osiris and the length the star Sothis was absent from the sky.^[28]

The second, moderately expensive option for mummification did not involve an incision into the abdominal cavity or the removal of the internal organs. Instead, the embalmers injected the oil of a cedar tree into the body, which prevented liquid from leaving the body. The body was then laid in natron for a specific number of days. The oil was then drained out of the body, and with it came the internal organs, the stomach and the intestines, which were liquefied by the cedar oil. The flesh dissolved in the natron, which left only skin and bones left of the deceased body. The remains are given back to the family. The cheapest, most basic method of mummification, which was often chosen by the poor, involved purging out the deceased’s internal organs, and then laying the body in natron for 70 days. The body was then given back to the family.

Addition to the "Damnation" section

Ka, the vital force within the Ancient Egyptian concept of the soul, would not return to the deceased body if embalming was not carried out in the proper fashion. In this case, the body decayed, and possibly became unrecognizable, which rendered the afterlife unattainable for the deceased person.

Judgement

The idea of judgement went as follows: in order to be considered for the admittance into the afterlife, those who died were obligated to undergo a multi-step judgement by certain gods. The concept and belief in judgement is outlined in the Book of the Dead, a funerary text of the new kingdom. The Book of the Dead is comprised of spells relating to the deceased and the afterlife. Spell 125, in particular, is understood to be delivered by the deceased at the outset of the judgement process.

The visual picture of what judgement looks like has been discovered through Ancient Egyptian ruins and artifacts. The procedure was depicted as follows: The deceased's heart was weighed in comparison to a feather, while a vicious beast awaited to eat the heart (if the deceased was found to be a sinner). Osiris was the judge (among others), and represented an ideal output of the judgement process for the deceased who entered his judgement hall. This is because although he was a great sinner, he resurrected and regained his godly status back after he was justified against his brother Seth, who wrongly murdered him. The deceased pleaded to Osiris, among 42 judges, that they had not committed sin, which is known as a "negative confession."

The 42 judges assessed how virtuous the life of the deceased was, and this represented principle element of the deceased entering the afterlife. After passing judgement, the family and friends of the deceased celebrated them and boasted about their righteousness to attain entry into the afterlife.

Further additions

Tombs

The tomb was the housing for the deceased and served two crucial functions: the tomb provided infinite protection for the deceased to rest, as well as a place for mourners to perform rituals in which aided the deceased into eternal life. Therefore, the Ancient Egyptians were very serious about the way in which the tombs were built. Two hallmarks of the tomb included (1) a burial chamber, which housed the physical body of the deceased (inside a coffin) as well as funerary objects deemed most important, and (2) A "cult place," which resembled a chapel where mourners, family, and friends could congregate. The tomb of a king included a full temple, instead of a chapel.

Typically, the tomb of a deceased person was located somewhere close-by their home community. The Ancient Egyptians opted to bury the deceased in land that was not particularly fertile or useful for vegetation. Therefore, tombs were mostly build in desert areas. Tombs were usually built near each other, and rarely stood alone. For a deceased king, however, the tomb was located in a place of utmost sacredness.

A majority of cemeteries were located on the west bank of the Nile, which was metaphorically viewed as "the realm of the dead." The tomb was said to represent the deceased's place in the cosmos, which ultimately depended on the social class of the deceased. If the deceased was of a notably high-class, they were buried near the king, whereas middle and lower class individuals were simply buried near the communities in which they had lived. In many cases, the tombs of the high-class were situated in accordance with the tombs of the lower classes so that they would be viewed as a "focal point." For example, one burial site was designed so that the tombs of the governors were placed alongside the slope of a hill, whereas the tombs of the governor's attendants were placed at the foot of the hill.

Coffins

Although the coffins that housed the deceased bodies were made simply of wood, they were intricately painted and designed to suit each individual. During the Old Kingdom, the following was included on each coffin: the title of the deceased, a list of offerings, a false compartment through which ka could pass through, and painted eyes so that the deceased could look through the coffin. During the Middle Kingdom, the coffin was treated as if it were a "miniature tomb" and was painted and inscribed like so. Goddesses Isis and Nephthys were painted on the coffins, and were said to guard the deceased in the afterlife. Along the sides of the coffins, the four sons of Horus were painted, amongst other gods. Prayers were often inscribed on the coffins as well. Anthropoid coffins soon emerged, which were tailored to the contour of the deceased's body. The deceased's face and hair was painted onto the coffin so to personalize it further. A sarcophagus, which is a large, stone container, was used to house the coffin, and provide supplementary protection to the dead body. The Ancient Egyptians translated the word "sarcophagus" to mean "possessor of life," and therefore, the sarcophagus would aid the deceased into the afterlife.

Peer Review

@Knl18:Hey! First of all, quality work. You definitely have a lot of resources and have for sure put in the time that's required for this project. You've utilized your resources really well, and did a really good job in fixing up the mummification section and making it even more clear. Also the additions to the "Damnation" part is quality. It might be worthwhile to look into the coffins section where it says citation needed. Maybe if you look for a citation then you will stumble upon more information about coffins and contribute even more. Also, I am doing the topic of professional mourning and I know Ancient Egypt was a place where professional mourning was commonly practiced (like with the impersonations of Isis) , so maybe you can form a link to that and how people devoted their lives to dealing with funerals. These are just tiny things that I'm thinking of in order to try and give you some ideas to do more, but quite frankly you've done quite an impressive job as it is, and I think that you're at a really really really good level. - Saad

@Ssn9876: Thank you so much for your feedback! I will definitely look into the coffins section and add some citations. I will also look into incorporating professional mourning into my research. Cool topic by the way! Good luck and thanks again. Knl18 (talk) 19:46, 22 March 2018 (UTC)

Comments

Week 5 @Knl18: What happened to the work on Egyptian stuff? I think that Buddhism and Abortion might be your best bet out of the three topics described here, but I worry about how much of the literature you will be able to produce here. Do you feel as though you will be able to include a substantial amount of information? Alfgarciamora (talk) 22:54, 26 February 2018 (UTC)

@Alfgarciamora: The Canopic Jar is still Ancient Egyptian stuff. I really want to research Egyptian death practices and this article is pretty barren compared the the other one I was working on before (Ancient Egyptian Funerary Practices) Knl18 (talk) 00:59, 27 February 2018 (UTC)

@Knl18: Excellent work here. The link that you provided for your citation was perfect. And great work adding this content. Do you think you will stick with this topic? Alfgarciamora (talk) 15:51, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

@Alfgarciamora: Thanks! I am really interested in this topic so I may stick with it. I just don't know how much material I could add to this particular article because it is already pretty developed. Although, I do think I could find parts here and there that I could build upon/make more clear. Knl18 (talk) 01:30, 20 February 2018 (UTC) Knl18 (talk) 01:34, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Week 6 @Knl18: Really excellent work. I think that you are finding adequate gaps in the pages. I was skeptical at first, but I believe that you are going to fill in a lot of useful information. As you pointed out, the missing citations are critical - that alone will enhance the page significantly. But the additional information you've proposed will also enhance the page(s) adequately. Keep up the great work and make sure to stay organized. Alfgarciamora (talk) 22:37, 5 March 2018 (UTC)