After a mummy was ready, it was laid in a tomb. Egyptians believed the dead would need things in the next life, much as they did in this one.
Key idea
Tombs held grave goods: food and drink, furniture, clothes, jewelry, games, and little helper figures called shabtis that would do work for the dead person in the afterlife.
Why it works
Egyptians imagined the next life as a better version of life by the Nile, with fields to farm and meals to enjoy. So they packed what a person would need. Shabtis held tiny hoes and baskets: if the dead person was called to work in the fields, the shabti would answer and do it instead. Families also brought fresh offerings of food to the tomb.
Worked example: Why pack a game?
Tutankhamun's tomb held board games. Why would anyone put a game in a tomb?
- Egyptians believed the next life was like this one.
- People enjoy games in this life.
Answer: So the dead person could enjoy playing in the afterlife too.
Common mistake
Thinking only kings had tombs. Many families had tombs too, from simple graves in the sand with a few pots, to painted rooms cut into the rock. Rich or poor, families gave their dead what they could.
Some tombs had several hundred shabtis, sometimes one for every day of the year, with overseer figures to keep them working.