Ancient Egyptian Idea of the Soul

1. Ancient Egyptian Idea of the Soul • The soul is made up of 3 parts – Ba, Ka, Akh • One part of the soul can’t live without the other • Mummification helped keep all parts alive

2. Ba • Looked like a human headed bird • Represented personality, character, or individuality • Ba lived inside the tomb and could leave and come back when it wished • It could visit the land of the living and come back

3. Ka • Was the double of the person • Looked like a human figure with raised arms • Was an exact physical and emotional copy of the individual that was imprisoned in the human heart and released at death • Had to stay close to the human body and could never leave the tomb

4. Ka • Ka could not live unless the body was preserved • If the body couldn’t be preserved, then it lived in a picture painted on the tomb wall • Ka needed the objects and offerings in the tomb • It required food, drink, and clothing • Friends and family had to leave regular offerings at the tomb to help Ka survive

5. Akh • Represented the immortality of the deceased • Sometimes looked like a bird • Akh made the journey to the underworld so it could eventually take its place in the afterlife

6. Gods and Goddesses • Took shape in the form of a human body with an animal head • The animals they took form in were considered sacred • Monuments and temples were built to honor these major gods • Every major town worshipped its own set of gods and goddess that helped explain nature’s events

7. Priests • Worked in the temples • Job was to cloth, feed, and put to bed the sculpted images of representing the gods • Had to shave their heads and body hair and wash their bodies twice a day to remain pure • Sacred music and dancing were part of the rituals and celebrations conducted by the priests