13 objects that the ancient Egyptians placed in tombs (14 photos)

The ancient Egyptians are known for their intricate and unique burials. Over the centuries, archaeologists have found a variety of objects in Egyptian tombs, each intended for a specific purpose: for example, to help the deceased in the afterlife. This selection contains several items that are constantly found in Egyptian burials.





1. Copies of the "Book of the Dead"



The Book of the Dead is a collection of Egyptian hymns and religious texts that the ancient Egyptians sometimes buried with their dead. These texts were intended to help the dead navigate the afterlife. The content of the texts varied, but they often described what could be found in the afterlife: for example, they described the ceremony of weighing the heart, during which a person’s actions were weighed on the feather of the goddess of justice, Maat.

2. Sarcophagi





Ancient Egyptians were sometimes buried in sarcophagi. Most often these were high-ranking persons. The sarcophagi themselves were decorated with illustrations, hieroglyphs with the names of the deceased and prayers. They could also include several sarcophagi placed inside each other. Depending on the status and wealth of the deceased, sarcophagi could be made of expensive material. For example, Tutankhamun's sarcophagi were made using large amounts of gold.

3. Portraits of mummies



Fayum portraits are funerary portraits using a special technique that were created in Roman Egypt in the 1st–3rd centuries. These portraits were attached to the mummified remains of the dead. They were especially popular in the city of Fayum, but they were also found in other places in Egypt. Portraits painted on wood panels were created between the mid-first and mid-third centuries, and they were painted on shrouds until the fourth century.

4. Ushabti figurines



Ushabti figurines in Ancient Egypt were placed in the grave, and were intended to help the deceased in the afterlife. Depending on the tomb, a person could be buried with hundreds of these figurines. Simple ones were made of ceramics, and more complex ushabti were gilded. The figurines were usually marked with a spell to magically bring them to life in the afterlife. They were also depicted with tools in their hands and a basket over their shoulders, ready to perform any task in the afterlife.

5. Canopic pots



Some of the deceased's organs were stored in canopic jars (canopic jars), which were removed during the mummification process. For each organ (for example, liver, stomach, lungs) there was a separate vessel. The ancient Egyptians believed that each organ was protected by one of the four sons of the falcon-headed god Horus. Sometimes these vessels were placed in a canopic casket - as, for example, in the tomb of Tutankhamun.

6. Golden tongues



"Golden tongues" were sometimes buried with Egyptian mummies during the Greco-Roman period (332 BC - 395 AD). They were placed in tombs so that the dead could talk to deities in the afterlife.

7. Wall paintings in tombs



Sometimes the tombs of wealthy ancient Egyptians were decorated with wall paintings. A variety of motifs could be painted there: portraits of the dead, images of gods, images of people mourning the deceased. Scenes from the daily life of Egypt, plants, animals, and moments of sports competitions were also painted on the walls of the tombs. Next to the drawings there were often hieroglyphs indicating who was buried in the tomb and what they did during their lifetime.

8. Scarabs



Amulets in the form of scarab beetles were also sometimes buried with the dead. The Egyptians believed that the sacred scarab moved the sun across the sky, just as the scarab beetle moves a ball of dung across the sand. They were usually sewn into the mummy and served as protection for the deceased.

9. Statues in tombs



Sometimes in grEntire statues were placed in the obnitsa - in many cases these were statues of deities. For example, in January 2024, archaeologists found a statue depicting Harpocrates, the Greek god of silence, in a 2,000-year-old tomb. In other cases, the statues depicted the deceased and their families.

10. Decorations



In Ancient Egypt, a variety of jewelry - necklaces, rings and brooches - were buried with the deceased. The richer the person was, the more exquisite the jewelry was. For example, a large number of decorations were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, including complex pectorals (massive chest decorations).

11. Animal mummies



Sometimes animal mummies were also placed in tombs: these could be pets that were buried with their owner. Sometimes the remains of animals (cows, ducks and geese) were cooked and then mummified so that the deceased and his pets could feed on them in the afterlife.

12. Mummy masks



The dead were sometimes buried with masks on their faces. They were made from plaster, flax and, in rare cases, precious metals. In 2018, archaeologists working on the site of Saqqara discovered a silver, gilded mummy mask that belonged to a priest who served Mut, the sky goddess.

13. Wooden boat models



Archaeologists have also found wooden boat models in the tombs. One notable example is the tomb of the Egyptian ruler Djehutinakht, who lived about 4,000 years ago, who was buried with 55 model boats in his tomb at Deir el Bersha. These were boat models for transporting troops and cargo, as well as for hunting and fishing. One of the mini-boats carried a small copy of the ruler's mummy.