Page 45 - Reading Success B5

The ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife. They believed that the sprit
would come back to its body to rest so they worked hard to preserve the body.

One famous Egyptian story describing the origins of the afterlife, tells about Osiris,
an ancient ruler of Egypt. He was believed to have been murdered by his jealous

brother, Set. Supposedly, Isis, the wife of Osiris, managed to restore her husband
back to life. Since then, the Egyptians have believed that in their afterlife, they

were going to rise from the dead and “live” again in a land ruled by Osiris.
The Egyptians needed supplies for their afterlife. As a result, they took

everything they thought they needed and stored it in jars. They cast spells over
jars so their contents would last forever. They also took papyrus scrolls and wrote

formulas on them to be used as guide maps to overcome all obstacles in their
future life. Little servant statues were even made to serve as servants in the

afterlife. They had one servant statue for each day of the year, and one for each
special job that might have needed to be done in the afterlife.

In order for their sprits to recognize their physical bodies, the Egyptians had to
mummify their corpses. To mummify a corpse is to treat the dead body with

preservatives to prevent its decay. To do this, the Egyptians would first remove
the organs and place them in jars. They would throw away the brain because they

believed the heart did all the thinking. As a result, the heart would be left alone in
the body. Next, the body and its organs would be dried with natron, a mixture of

salt and baking soda. The body would then be wrapped in linen soaked in scented
oils, wine, and spices so that the body would retain its original shape. Finally, the

body would be placed in a coffin and kept in a tomb, usually a pyramid.

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this story?

a. the ancient Egyptians’ belief in the afterlife

b. the ancient Egyptians’ daily rituals
c. the ancient Egyptians’ family structure

d. the ancient Egyptians’ royal families

48_Reading Success B 5