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Life after Death
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The ancient Egyptians believed strongly in
life after death and that each human being was made up of five elements: ka,
ba, akh, name, and shadow. They made elaborate preparations to ensure that the
spirit of the dead would be comfortable. They believed that when a child was
created on the potter’s wheel of the god, Khnum, a duplicate was made as well.
The duplicate, called the ka, was stored in the heart as a vital force
possessed by every being. In addition to a ka, each person had a ba.
The ba was the soul of the person. After death, the ka and the ba were united
into one entity called the akh, which is an aspect of the sun.
Two other parts of a dead person had to
survive: the name and the shadow. A person’s name was his spirit of
individuality. It was engraved on the tomb walls, the coffin, and equipment in
the tomb
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