Handbook of archaeology, Egyptian - Greek - Etruscan - Roman . ndremain undecayed for ever in their tombs, for we find in the Bookof the Dead the following inscription placed over the spirits whohave found favour in the eyes of the Great God: The bodieswhich they have forsaken shall sleep for ever * in their sepulchres,while they rejoice in the presence of God most high, there willbe no difficulty in seeing that with this religious creed the Egyp-tians should feel the necessity of embalming to ensure the eternalexistence of their bodies. Some have considered that the want ofground for cemeteri
Handbook of archaeology, Egyptian - Greek - Etruscan - Roman . ndremain undecayed for ever in their tombs, for we find in the Bookof the Dead the following inscription placed over the spirits whohave found favour in the eyes of the Great God: The bodieswhich they have forsaken shall sleep for ever * in their sepulchres,while they rejoice in the presence of God most high, there willbe no difficulty in seeing that with this religious creed the Egyp-tians should feel the necessity of embalming to ensure the eternalexistence of their bodies. Some have considered that the want ofground for cemeteries, and also the excavations made in the moun-tains for the extraction of materials employed in the immense * Hence it is evident the Egyptians did not believe in the resurrection of the body. MUMMIES. 97 buildings of Egypt, compelled them to have recourse to the expe-dient of mummification. Others consider the custom arose ratherfrom a sanitary regulation for the benefit of the living. Accordingto Mr. Gliddon, mummification preceded, in all probability, the. EGYPTIAN MUMMY CASE. building of the pyramids and tombs, because vestiges of mummieshave been found in the oldest of these, and, in fact, the first mum-mies were buried in the sand before the Egyptians possessed thenecessary tools for excavating sepulchres in the rock. The earliest n 98 HANDBOOK OF ARCHEOLOGY, mode of mummification was extremely simple; the bodies wereprepared with natron, or dried in ovens, and wrapped in woollencloth. At a later period every provincial temple was provided withan establishment for the pnrpose of mummification. The bodieswere delivered to the priests to be embalmed, and after seventydays restored to their friends, to be carried to the place of mode of embalming depended on the rank and position of thedeceased. There were three modes of embalming ; the first is saidto have cost a talent of silver (about 250/.); the second, 22 mina3(601.); the third was extremely cheap. The proce
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