Afterlife beliefs of the Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptian hoped to extend his or her life beyond the grave with the aim of becoming an element of the perennial life of nature. There were crucial concepts in relation to afterlife for the ancient Egyptians. The main two concepts include the ka and the ba. Ka was essential illustration of the other self or double self thus not an element related to personality. In most cases, the double self was associated with the fortunes of an individual. Upon death, ancient Egyptians would join their ka to guide them in the perennial nature of life.
Ba was an important concept with reference to ka. This was identifiable as the soul of the ancient Egyptian. In addition, Ba concept was the manifestation or transformation of an individual after his death in the ancient Egypt. Besides these concepts, ancient Egyptians also believed in the akh concept, illustrating the transformation of some of the noble people into eternal objects following their deaths. For instance, in most cases, the noble dead were conceptualize as transformed into the sun thus an opportunity for such individuals to join the perennial rhythm of the planet.
According to ancient Egyptians, the most dangerous region was the underworld because of the events one’s spirit had to transverse prior to reaching paradise (afterlife). The afterlife for the ancient Egyptians was associated with the Field of Rushes. This was their final destination the ancient Egyptians were striving to reach in their lifetime as well as their rough journey across the underworld.
The ancient Egyptians believed that after life (life in the field of rushes) reflected their real world with rivers, gods and goddesses to worship, and rivers. In the field of rushes, the dead had an opportunity to acquire a plot of land with the massive expectation of maintaining the piece of land. Maintenance of the piece of land was through provision of self or personal labor or utilization of the shabtis working for the dead having reached the paradise. Shabtis was a term coined for the small statuettes supplied with the essential agricultural tools in the form of baskets and hoes. These entities worked under the guidance of an overseer or a foreman who had the obligation and the right of carrying fails rather than the agricultural tools. From this perspective, it is substantive to note that the ancient Egyptians believed in life after death thus the existence of the Field of Rushes.
