book

Funerary Practices of Ancient Zoroastrians and Egyptians

21 Pages 1683 Words 1557 Views

The ancient Zoroastrians (6th to 5th century BC), as well as the ancient Egyptians (3000-900 century BC), had distinct views on the funerary practises as well as their belief in afterlife. The afterlife which is also referred to as life after death or the hereafter, is the concept of a realm, or the realm itself, in which a part of the individual's identity or consciousness continues to reside in the dead body. The evidence from the tombs, paintings, text and sculptures of the Egyptians and the Zoroastrians clearly shows us their beliefs and the nature of the afterlife. The beliefs regarding the afterlife, funeral proceedings and funerary art clearly indicate the vast distinctions between the monotheistic Zoroastrian faith and the polytheistic Ancient Egyptians The beliefs of the monotheistic Zoroastrian faith regarding the afterlife contrasts greatly with those of the polytheistic Ancient Egyptians. However, like the Ancient Egyptians, ancient Zoroastrians too believed in an afterlife and in the judgement of the soul. The Zoroastrians believed that when a person dies, it is only the spiritual components, the soul and the spirit (fravashi) which continues to live on. Zarathustra, a Persian Prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism, dictated that every person is adjudicated at death, according to his merits and beliefs (Daena). It was also postulated by Dr. Jivanji Modi who was a Zoroastrian priest and a fellow of the University of Bombay that the soul creates its own heaven or hell, which are a state of spiritual existence and bliss.(Jivanji,1928) Furthermore the renowned author on Zoroastrian heritage, K.E Eduljee, asserts that the Zoroastrians believed that "one's aim in life is to achieve Ushta, abiding peace and happiness (Eduljee 2007). In contrast, the ancient Egyptians believed that one would transition to the afterlife after being assessed in the Hall of Judgement by Ma'at (the Goddess of justice), Horus (the God of the sky) and Thoth (scribe of the dead). This judgement comprises of comparing the weight of the heart with the Feather of Ma'at. This measures one's conscience (Clarke 1993). This ritual which was also known as the Weighing of the Heart was the crucial step in determining one's perpetuity. On the contrary, according to the ancient Egyptians which were a polytheistic society, the body was made up of the ka (the dynamic and impersonal life force), the ba (the manifestation) and the akh (the transfigured spirit) (Hays 2008). Furthermore, Ella Marston, an author of Ancient History describes the ka, a "spiritual double" which was usually depicted as two arms raised in prayer. The ba, normally represented as a human headed bird, was limited to the tomb, also witnessed the weighing of the heart ritual and finally the akh, was represented as a crested Ibis (Rant 2013), and if the sins outweighed the merits, then the soul would be devoured up by Ammit, a female demon part Lion, Hippopotamus and Crocodile. Thus it is evident that the beliefs of the monotheistic Zoroastrian faith regarding the afterlife contr

Read Full Essay