Tales of the Funeral Procession Quiz

Answer: Professional mourners were hired.

There were really people who made a living as professional mourners! Wearing the blueish-grey color of mourning, they would tear their clothes, pull their hair out while weeping and wailing, and cover their faces with mud and dirt. It was their job, in case the other mourners didn't show enough sorrow, to make the appropriate amount of noise along the way. On a good day, there would be a morning and afternoon funeral!

Answer: A small figure that would carry out manual tasks for the deceased in the afterlife.

Also called a ushabti, the shabti among the grave goods placed in the tomb. Sometimes found carrying tools for specific tasks, shabtis could be put in the tomb in order to work for the mummy should the gods call on the deceased to do so. The use of shabtis dates back to the Old Kingdom, and the statues were produced in large numbers.

In some tombs they cover the floor around the sarcophagus.

Answer: Internal organs

During the seventy day mummification process, the body and internal organs were dried, using a salt-like chemical called natron and the heat of the sun. Four canopic jars contained what was left of the stomach, lungs, liver, and intestines after the drying process.

The design of the stoppers on the jars changed over time; in the beginning they were more human in appearance. Later the head of Anubis, god of embalming was used, and eventually the sons of Horus, which represented the cardinal compass points, were used.

Answer: True

It is believed that human sacrifice served the purpose of providing servants for the earliest pharaohs. By the beginning of dynastic Egypt, shabti figurines, paintings on the wall, and symbolic sacrifices took the place of the actual killing.

Answer: He wore a costume made from a panther skin.

Also called the high priest of Ptah, who was the patron deity of craftsmen, the sem priest wore a short wig with a side lock and a costume made of a panther skin. The other priests in attendance were the "ka-priests", whose function was to pour water for the deceased, and the "hery-heb priests", who recited the necessary incantations.

In addition, there were "wt-priests" who were in charge of the embalming.

Answer: Boats

The procession would normally leave the home of the deceased, and travel toward the Nile. This must have been quite a spectacle, with all the onlookers admiring the show of wealth of the deceased. Boats would be rented to carry the coffin, all the funeral items, and people to the cemetery. Remember, that cemeteries were normally located on the west bank of the Nile in order to facilitate the safe journey of the deceased to find Osiris and have his heart weighed.

Answer: Opening of the Mouth

The Opening of the Mouth ceremony was performed by the "sem-priest" once the procession reached the cemetery. The mummy would be stood upright and after a variety of prayers and gestures, be able to see, hear, speak, eat, and move. After that, it would be placed in a coffin/coffins and lowered into a sarcophagus.

Answer: Right Foreleg of Ox

The right foreleg of an ox was believed to contain the ox's physical powers; in addition, it was a symbol of virility. There is some speculation that the presentation of the haunch was meant to restore the sexual potency of the mummy. Take a second now, and imagine what this scene was like! There are the mourners, servants, all the grave goods, family, priests, and now the mess caused by sacrificing an ox. What a spectacle!

Answer: At the entrance to the tomb.

After the mummy and its belongings were placed in the tomb, rocks and rubble would be thrown into the shaft to seal it off. A mason would come with stones and mortar to finish the job. While this was going on, servants would have been busy laying out a meal that was usually served in the doorway of the tomb.

It was also customary to have a musician play the harp and sing songs about the deceased.

Answer: Mastabas

Literally meaning the "house for eternity", a mastaba was a flat-roofed rectangular structure that was usually modeled on the house of the deceased. The ancient Egyptians, concerned about jackals digging up bodies or the shifting sand making it difficult to find the grave, believed the mastaba would help protect the body. Actually, placing the body in the mastaba really caused the body to decay, unlike the graves in the hot dry sand; this is what led the Egyptians to begin the practice of mummification.