The Egyptians believed that the human soul used the first night after death to travel into the afterlife. However, the body, which the Egyptians believed was an essential element to the afterlife had to be mummified. And this process took 72 days to perform properly. This also gave them time to put finishing touches on the tomb and to pack all the deceased's worldly possessions, which they would surely need in the afterlife. (http://members.aol.com/egyptart/ani.html)

The Hall of Maat is where the judgement of the dead was performed. This was done by weighing one's heart (conscience) against the fe

One of the values that all three civilizations have is justice and fairness. This is best viewed in Hammurabi's laws. All of the penalties for the crimes are very stiff, but fair. "If he has broken the limb of a patrician, his limb shall be broken" It's like in the Bible "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." In Egypt, in the Book of the Dead, a man couldn't proceed into the after life unless he was found innocent of any wrongdoing on Earth. In Confucius' writings, he never actually says the word "justice", but he does say "Great Man cherishes excellence; Petty Man, his own comfort. Great Man cherishes the rules and regulations; Petty Man special favors." To me, that means "Great Man is fair, Petty man is unfair."

Temples were considered dwelling places for the gods. They were everywhere. Each city had a temple built for the god of that city. The purpose of the temple was to be a cosmic center by which men had communication with the gods. As the priests became more powerful, tombs became a part of great temples. The priest's duty was to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests had many duties such as funeral rites, teaching school, supervising the artists and works, and advising people on problems. (http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.3.html).

dead man would need, in his tomb, all those necessities and luxuries which made life on earth pleasant. In addition to this, they believed that the underworld replica of their body, the 'ka', would need to make a safe trip through the underworld, and because of this, many intricate procedures would have to be followed. A famous example of such procedures would be that of mummification. Anubis was the god of mummification. The Egyptian embalming rituals were emulated from that Anubis followed when resurrecting Osiris, the god of the underworld. The embalming of the body was thought to preserve the body forever, allowing time for the 'ka' to return, and thus resurrection. The Egyptians' strong attitude towards nature and the afterlife in their worships is directly related to their location and the elements that surround them.

Religion guided every aspect of Egyptian life. Egyptian religion was based on polytheism, or the worship of many deities, except for during the reign of Akenaton. The Egyptians had as many as 2000 gods and goddesses. Some, such as Amun, were worshipped throughout the whole country, while others had only a local following. Often gods and goddesses

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Approximate Word count = 1673
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)