According to scientific assessment of the afterlife conceptions in Ancient Egypt, the spiritual existence of the deceased was absolutely dependent on their body: One soul – the Ka – remained in the corpse after passing away, while a dynamic second – the Ba, depicted as a bird – was able to visit the living relatives and accompanied the sun on its nocturnal journey through the underworld; afterwards, however, it had to be able to find and recognize its body again.1 Together with the Akh, depicted as a bird with a shock of hair, all three beings are understood as soul beings that only unfold their power when the bearer dies. Read more on Academia.edu […]