Special Issue of Memory of Egypt Explores the Concept and Rituals of Death
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The BA has issued the 26th issue of Memory of Egypt Magazine; a quarterly magazine published as part of the Memory of Modern Egypt project documenting Egypt’s modern and contemporary history. Young researchers and historians with various perspectives contribute to the magazine. This issue presents a special profile on the concept and rituals of death, from the ages of Ancient Egypt until modern times. The topic is tackled through various specialties and fields of study, including anthropology, history, archeology, folk arts, and others.
This issue reveals the great significance of death in the minds and thought of Ancient Egyptians, as they considered death to be a gateway between the world of the living and that of gods, demons, and other supernatural, invisible, and immortal creatures. They also linked death to the concept of resurrection. Consequently, they preserved dead bodies through mummification and embalmment, and they entombed each mummy along with food, drinks, and other worldly possessions it might need in the hereafter.
The issue also presents the history of the Alexandria cemeteries, which amount to a total of five cemeteries.
One of the issue’s topics, titled “Royal Mummies at the Egyptian Museum”, discusses the mummification techniques used by Ancient Egyptians, and it tackles how they sanctified the “jackal”—Anubis—and considered him the protector of tombs and cemeteries.
The issue also includes various other topics, including “King Unas Pyramid Complex and Pyramid Texts” by Dr. Khaled Azab and Ayman Mansour, as well as various others that revolve around the issue’s main topic, death back then and now. The new issue of Memory of Egypt also includes a collection of photos of celebrity funerals.