Ghosts in ancient Egypt

Sightings of ghosts in Egypt have, of course, been reported and documented over many centuries. Curses of people being condemned to walk the desert as disembodied spirits have been some of the more interesting tales of Egyptian haunting. Pharaoh Akhenaten was purportedly condemned by priests who, after his passing from this world, cursed him to be trapped as a ghost who must walk the Earth for the rest of time. Consequently, sightings of

Akhenaten

Akhenaten still surface, even today; whether or not these are true ghost sightings of the ancient Pharaoh cannot be confirmed. After all, his banishment took place some 3300 years ago!
In ancient Egypt, the return of a ghost was also considered a very serious matter.Ancient Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife and ghosts consistently changed over more than a couple thousand years, but belief in the existence of the human soul after the physical body perishes has remained a standard throughout time. For the Egyptians, non-existence was an intolerable concept, and it was believed that, at death, the soul traveled to the Hall of

osiris

Truth where it was judged by Osiris and the 42 Judges by having its heart weighed in balance with the white feather of truth; if the heart was found lighter than the feather, the soul proceeded on to the afterlife, while if it was heavier, it was thrown to the floor where it was eaten by a monster and the soul would cease to exist. One's heart would be lighter if one had lived a good life and heavier if one had not. The afterlife was known as the Field of Reeds, which was a mirror image of one's life on earth in Egypt. One would enjoy the house one knew, the stream by that house, one's favourite tree and dog, and so there was no reason for a soul to want to return to earth unless that soul had a very good reason for doing so.

Tomb

In contrast, in some ancient beliefs of Egypt, the ghost or spirit of the person would live with the body in its tomb. This is why food would be interred along with other items the person might potentially need in the aftelife. The tombs of Egyptian mummies might also contain a small statue, made to look like them, as a backup plan should the body ever be destroyed. The spirit of the person was said to transfer to the statue in such a case.

In 1915, Egyptologist Gaston Maspero published a translation of an ancient Egyptian ghost story, possibly set in Luxor (ancient Thebes, shown above), that was discovered on four pieces of pottery. In the story, a ghost of a mummified man tells a high priest of the god Amun about his current condition.

"I grew, and I did not see the rays of the sun. I did not breathe the air, but darkness was before me every day, and no one came to find me," the ghost says (translation by Maspero).

"The ghost seems to complain of some accident that has happened to himself or to his tomb, but I cannot make out what is the subject of his dissatisfaction," Maspero wrote.The ancient Egyptians believed strongly in life after death, and created a series of spells called the "Book of the Dead," which they believed helped them reach the afterlife.