Page "Afterlife" Paragraph 18

Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion ; their belief in the rebirth after death became their driving force behind their funeral practices.

Death was simply a temporary interruption, rather than complete cessation, of life, and that eternal life could be ensured by means like piety to the gods, preservation of the physical form through mummification, and the provision of statuary and other funerary equipment.

Each human consisted of the physical body, the ' ka ', the ' ba ', and the ' akh '.

The Name and Shadow were also living entities.

To enjoy the afterlife, all these elements had to be sustained and protected from harm.