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The Ancient Egyptians held deep and complex beliefs concerning the fate of the body and soul after death. Though these beliefs often varied from region to region within the empire, the Egyptians as a whole shared in the knowledge that the essence of a man did not cease to be when his body died. The Underworld was a place very similar to the everyday world, but a place where existence was carried out in the presence of the Gods. In the afterlife, people were still expected to work, worship, and continue their lives much as they had on Earth. Firm belief in the continuation of existence beyond death led to the necessary development of elaborate funerary arts that were designed to provide the required tools and attributes for a successful existence in the Underworld.

This collection of beliefs, like most other aspects of Egyptian culture, underwent a series of changes throughout Egyptian history. The earliest belief systems were simple and clear, with the body of the dead being returned to the land under the watchful eyes of the gods. As Egyptian culture progressed toward the height of their civilization, beliefs became more and more complex. As the complexity of ideas increased so to the need for funerary preparations to ensure the safety and continued well-being of the deceased. Further complexities occurred when Osiris and Re were integrated into beliefs about the afterlife. With this addition, all aspects of funerary belief became the domain of Osiris. His mythic role as the resurrected God became an important illustration of the prospect of resurrection in the afterlife for all men. The result of this synthesis of complex and often contradictory beliefs was an Egyptian religious structure involving a deeply held system of beliefs that had their roots in several prehistoric and early dynastic cultural practices.[1]
Egyptian history consists of countless eventful and important eras. In this work, I will concentrate specifically on the transition from the New Kingdom into the Late Period of Egyptian history; with dates ranging from 1080 to 525 B.C.E.[2] This period included several instances of considerable historical and political upheaval in the Egyptian world. The later phases of the New Kingdom saw the development of new innovations in coffins, including elaborate coffin cases and cartonnage[3], as well as the first significant uses of shabtis, figures created and placed in tombs to act as stand-ins for the dead when work was required of them in the afterlife.[4]

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