Reply to the discussion board post below
Molly Nieto-
“What do they tell you about the history, culture, and/or religious beliefs of that period?
Document 7.1 was about a man talking with his spirit which was called his “ba”, the man was considering committing suicide because he felt the world, he lived in lacked justice, order and truth. This text told me that even back in this time period people questioned the worth of their life. They believed that commoners as well as kings had a “ba”, the fact that this text shows him talking to his spirit shows that their culture was religious. He also believed that those who “purged away the evil which had afflicted him” would become like a god in the afterlife.
Document 7.2 was different “magical texts” that were inscribed into the tombs of the deceased to guarantee individuals a blessed afterlife. The first text “Inscriiption on a Shabti” made it possible to “volunteer” or do work in the afterlife. This shows that their culture was hardworking and even continued to work in death. The second and third text (Inscriiption on a Heart Scarab and The Decloration of Innocence) were basically saying that the deceased has a trial to see if they followed “ma’at” (truth, justice and order), if they did then they were admitted into the afterlife. Their culture believed that if they followed these 3 things throughout their whole life that they deserved to go on into the afterlife. This shows that they have a lot of traditions and beliefs when it comes to death and I think religion plays a big role in this.
What questions or uncertainties do they provoke in your mind?
7.1-I wondered why this man believed he was talking to his spirit, was he ill and hallucinating or was he just talking to himself? Why did he feel that he lived in a world without truth, order or justice? Was this man suffering from something else like the loss of a loved one or just the hardships of living each day?
7.2- I want to know what happens to someone if they don’t live by “ma’at”, do they just not receive the inscriiptions on their tombs or are they believed to go to hell? I wonder how “ma’at” was determined at the 3 most important things to live by, was that a kings rule or was it a religious belief? “
