It was previously thought by archeologists and researchers that pot burial in ancient Egypt was a practice of poor people, recent discoveries suggest otherwise.
Ancient people including the Egyptians often buried their dead in ceramic pots. These burial containers were long thought to be a make shift burial vessel for poor children.
A new analysis reveals that in ancient Egypt, researchers have discovered that the burial pot used in sending off their departed were not limited to poor people or children.
According to research, the ancient Egyptians were firm believers of the afterlife. Their concept of the world beyond is different from our own. According to their beliefs, the afterlife is a reflection of their lives here.
Burial rites according to their belief ensure immortality after death. Thus, material objects can be found inside tombs such as jewelry, clothing and other personal possessions.
Bioarchaeologist Ronika Power and Egyptologist Yann Tristant, researchers from Macquarie University in Sydney, reviewed publishing of pot burials at 46 sites.
Most of these sites are located near the Nile and dated around 3300 B.C. to 1650 B.C. as reported in an article by Science News.
More than half of these sites contain adult remains. According to the report, a tomb of a wealthy governor, a pot containing a baby was found in a bot which also had beads wrapped in gold foil.
The new result suggests that pot burial in ancient Egypt can also be for adults and for the wealthy Egyptians.
In other pots, trinkets made of gold, ivory and beads made out of ostrich egg shells were discovered. Other items such as clothing and ceramics were also found, according to a report by Latinos Health.
Scientists now propose that the ancient Egyptians bury their dead in containers in part due to their symbolic nature. They deliberately select pots as these are hollow vessels that simulate the womb and may represent a rebirth in the afterlife.
