This research paper will analyze the impact of a museum’s choice to go into the tombs of the ancient Egyptians and excavate them, to “preserve history.” I will compare how this is no different than people robbing graves here in the twentieth century. I will also explore their everyday rituals, and beliefs of the underworld. I intend on consulting a variety of web resources to conduct my research. No matter the reason for unearthing a grave, I believe it is wrong. There is no difference between grave robbers of today, and the ones representing the museums in Egypt. I plan on visiting various sites related to archaeology and grave robber’s, both grave robbers of today, and past. The art of mummification is present in many cultures, although it is usually associated with ancient Egypt. In this paper, however, I will explain why I am against the museums choice to unearth what has been resting for so long. I plan on using the deductive argument style in preparing my research article. I will view a broad spectrum of legal, social, and news sources to conduct my research. Ancient civilizations believed in life after death, in no other civilization have such elaborate preparations for the afterlife been made in the preservation of the dead, yet they are the ones that are being violated. Many great achievements were made by these magical Egyptians. Their discoveries and contributions changed the course of human history. They were the first to make a colander based on the suns movement, developed the hieroglyphic alphabet. The Egyptians created the first system to bring water to dry lands, and also created the first written study on surgery. These great people of the ancient times, dug canals to bring water form the Nile, and devised a simple water hoist, called a shaduf . Regulating the annual floods gave the ancient Egyptians the ability to cultivate mass amounts of farmland to feed the growing village populations. After the unifying of Upper and Lower Egypt, society stayed much the same from 3100 B.C. (when the founding of a united Egypt was enacted), to the last Pharaoh of the thirteenth Dynasty. Early off order and stability was brought to the Egyptian society. The pharaoh was thought to be a God who would return to heaven after death. Not only a legal obligation, following his laws, but it was also a religious obligation as well. All the land and all the people were his, the Egyptians all were considered his servants. You could look at the Egyptian society as if it was shaped like a pyramid. The pharaoh being at the top, beneath him would be the upper class or aristocracy. This would include the priests and nobles of the pharaoh's court. The merchants and crafts people made up the next level, middle class. The largest of all levels was made up of peasants, laborers, and slaves. It was this lower class that built the tombs of the great pharaoh. "During the Old Kingdom, Egyptians believed that life after death was reserved for the pharaoh, his family, and the nobility…the dead king had the same influence over events as the new living king… the dead king's ka, …would live on in his corpse…(Smith, 21). These underground burials protected there pharaoh from the weather and from thieves as well as keep them safe for their trip to the underworld. At first the Egyptian dead were buried in the sand because the sand would beat the decomposition state. Because the hot sand dried out the bodies before decomposition took place, the bodies of the dead would naturally be preserved this way. Different methods came arise when more elaborate tombs were gradually being built. The first method of mummification would wrap the body with resin-coated bandages. On top of these bandages elaborate portraits were then painted on the outer wrappings. To mummify priest would cover them with natron. It would take forty days of soaking in this mixture to dry the bodies out. Washing the body before packing with resin-coated bandages and sweet-smelling spices would deep the body intact and in form. The organs-hearts, brains, livers, and so on- were removed so these voids were then filled with bandages. The outer body was then also bandaged and covered with jewels. Beautiful painted masks were then placed over the bodies face and wrapped once more. Many of the dead were placed inside one large outer coffin holding three coffins of different sizes inside. All fitting into the next. The ancient Egyptians believed that each ordinary citizen would live eternally in the Land of the Dead. After many political changes, stemming from invasions from- Persians, Libyans, and Babylonians. The daily life of most Egyptians did not change much. It was important for the people to maintain the nation's irrigation system, because of the comings and goings of the floods. Today the annual floods do not occur. The Egyptian government built the Aswan dam in 1968, allowing the waters of the Nile to be controlled mechanically. This may seem good but the once rich soil that rested along the Niles banks, was so rich because the floods would wash away salt deposits, in that soil. Now this rich soil will one day all be desert. The Egypt of today has changed so much since the days of the pharaohs. Not only the disrespect of the pharaohs resting place, but the invasion of Muslim Arab's. These governors representing the Eastern Roman Empire, were driven out by the Muslim Arabs. Due to this most of the remaining Egyptians belong to the Islamic faith. Mosques are now a main feature of the Egyptian landscape. There is even a mosque built within the walls of the ancient temple at Luxor. It’s a shame that this precious empire that once ruled for so-long, the longest of any other civilization on this globe, has been trampled on and disrespected in so many ways. The Egyptian traditions, and the Egyptian language all vanished from time. Until now all these hieroglyphics remained intact but no one could read them. They laid at rest with these remarkable people in their sleep. Rudely awakened by the curious in 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt with two-hundred scholars accompanying his army. Hawass reveals the meaning behind the first hieroglyphs that are seen entering a tomb, “cursed be those that disturb the rest of the pharaoh. They that shall break the seal of this tomb shall meet death by a disease that no doctor can diagnose (94).” Soon all of Egyptians treasures became popular with Europeans. Totally disrespecting all that they believed in, all that they cherished, and all that they worked so long to perfect. With a double-edged sword overzealous explorers would cut right through the hearts of these astonishing people, the Egyptians. According to Pemberton, “in the 19th century just about anybody could go to Egypt and, if they had enough money, start digging up tombs (15).” Egyptian treasures became popular with Europeans, but not for what they could teach about the Egyptian civilization; but because they were erotic and beautiful. Hawass reveals the following, “tutankhamun’s mask is one of the greatest masterpieces ever made.. the face of the king is pure gold…eyebrows are made of lapis lazuli…his eyes are inlaid with white quartz and black obsidian…ears are pierced for earrings…stripes of the nemes headdress are represented by bands of gold and blue glass (54). With no sense of Karma , or sense of respect, the resting place of these magical people was forever to be awoken with hate, greed, jealousy, and PAIN. Joyce believes that “…in the 16th century, King Francois I of France (1515-47) believed that Egyptian mummies had magical powers and eating them could cure illnesses, so he always traveled with a bag of crushed mummy powder and rhubarb (Filer, 15).
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This research paper will analyze the impact of a museum’s choice to go into the tombs of the ancient Egyptians and excavate them, to “preserve history.” I will compare how this is no different than people robbing graves here in the twentieth century. I will also explore their everyday rituals, and beliefs of the underworld. I intend on consulting a variety of web resources to conduct my research. No matter the reason for unearthing a grave, I believe it is wrong. There is no difference between grave robbers of today, and the ones representing the museums in Egypt. I plan on visiting various sites related to archaeology and grave robber’s, both grave robbers of today, and past. The art of mummification is present in many cultures, although it is usually associated with ancient Egypt.
In this paper, however, I will explain why I am against the museums choice to unearth what has been resting for so long. I plan on using the deductive argument style in preparing my research article. I will view a broad spectrum of legal, social, and news sources to conduct my research. Ancient civilizations believed in life after death, in no other civilization have such elaborate preparations for the afterlife been made in the preservation of the dead, yet they are the ones that are being violated.
Many great achievements were made by these magical Egyptians. Their discoveries and contributions changed the course of human history. They were the first to make a colander based on the suns movement, developed the hieroglyphic alphabet. The Egyptians created the first system to bring water to dry lands, and also created the first written study on surgery. These great people of the ancient times, dug canals to bring water form the Nile, and devised a simple water hoist, called a shaduf . Regulating the annual floods gave the ancient Egyptians the ability to cultivate mass amounts of farmland to feed the growing village populations.
After the unifying of Upper and Lower Egypt, society stayed much the same from 3100 B.C. (when the founding of a united Egypt was enacted), to the last Pharaoh of the thirteenth Dynasty. Early off order and stability was brought to the Egyptian society. The pharaoh was thought to be a God who would return to heaven after death. Not only a legal obligation, following his laws, but it was also a religious obligation as well. All the land and all the people were his, the Egyptians all were considered his servants. You could look at the Egyptian society as if it was shaped like a pyramid. The pharaoh being at the top, beneath him would be the upper class or aristocracy. This would include the priests and nobles of the pharaoh's court. The merchants and crafts people made up the next level, middle class. The largest of all levels was made up of peasants, laborers, and slaves. It was this lower class that built the tombs of the great pharaoh. "During the Old Kingdom, Egyptians believed that life after death was reserved for the pharaoh, his family, and the nobility…the dead king had the same influence over events as the new living king… the dead king's ka, …would live on in his corpse…(Smith, 21). These underground burials protected there pharaoh from the weather and from thieves as well as keep them safe for their trip to the underworld.
At first the Egyptian dead were buried in the sand because the sand would beat the decomposition state. Because the hot sand dried out the bodies before decomposition took place, the bodies of the dead would naturally be preserved this way. Different methods came arise when more elaborate tombs were gradually being built. The first method of mummification would wrap the body with resin-coated bandages. On top of these bandages elaborate portraits were then painted on the outer wrappings. To mummify priest would cover them with natron. It would take forty days of soaking in this mixture to dry the bodies out. Washing the body before packing with resin-coated bandages and sweet-smelling spices would deep the body intact and in form. The organs-hearts, brains, livers, and so on- were removed so these voids were then filled with bandages. The outer body was then also bandaged and covered with jewels. Beautiful painted masks were then placed over the bodies face and wrapped once more.
Many of the dead were placed inside one large outer coffin holding three coffins of different sizes inside. All fitting into the next. The ancient Egyptians believed that each ordinary citizen would live eternally in the Land of the Dead. After many political changes, stemming from invasions from- Persians, Libyans, and Babylonians. The daily life of most Egyptians did not change much. It was important for the people to maintain the nation's irrigation system, because of the comings and goings of the floods.
Today the annual floods do not occur. The Egyptian government built the Aswan dam in 1968, allowing the waters of the Nile to be controlled mechanically. This may seem good but the once rich soil that rested along the Niles banks, was so rich because the floods would wash away salt deposits, in that soil. Now this rich soil will one day all be desert. The Egypt of today has changed so much since the days of the pharaohs. Not only the disrespect of the pharaohs resting place, but the invasion of Muslim Arab's. These governors representing the Eastern Roman Empire, were driven out by the Muslim Arabs. Due to this most of the remaining Egyptians belong to the Islamic faith.
Mosques are now a main feature of the Egyptian landscape. There is even a mosque built within the walls of the ancient temple at Luxor. It’s a shame that this precious empire that once ruled for so-long, the longest of any other civilization on this globe, has been trampled on and disrespected in so many ways.
The Egyptian traditions, and the Egyptian language all vanished from time. Until now all these hieroglyphics remained intact but no one could read them. They laid at rest with these remarkable people in their sleep. Rudely awakened by the curious in 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt with two-hundred scholars accompanying his army. Hawass reveals the meaning behind the first hieroglyphs that are seen entering a tomb, “cursed be those that disturb the rest of the pharaoh. They that shall break the seal of this tomb shall meet death by a disease that no doctor can diagnose (94).” Soon all of Egyptians treasures became popular with Europeans. Totally disrespecting all that they believed in, all that they cherished, and all that they worked so long to perfect. With a double-edged sword overzealous explorers would cut right through the hearts of these astonishing people, the Egyptians. According to Pemberton, “in the 19th century just about anybody could go to Egypt and, if they had enough money, start digging up tombs (15).”
Egyptian treasures became popular with Europeans, but not for what they could teach about the Egyptian civilization; but because they were erotic and beautiful. Hawass reveals the following, “tutankhamun’s mask is one of the greatest masterpieces ever made.. the face of the king is pure gold…eyebrows are made of lapis lazuli…his eyes are inlaid with white quartz and black obsidian…ears are pierced for earrings…stripes of the nemes headdress are represented by bands of gold and blue glass (54). With no sense of Karma , or sense of respect, the resting place of these magical people was forever to be awoken with hate, greed, jealousy, and PAIN. Joyce believes that “…in the 16th century, King Francois I of France (1515-47) believed that Egyptian mummies had magical powers and eating them could cure illnesses, so he always traveled with a bag of crushed mummy powder and rhubarb (Filer, 15).
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