The early Egyptians buried their dead in the ground, placing them in the fetal position, in shallow graves dug in the sand. Egypt became a powerful and prosperous nation during the dynastic period that began in 3100 BC. Around this time, the Egyptians began building more and more elaborate tombs to house their dead. There were also several basic types of tombs like the mastaba. The mastaba is a low, re-Inactangular tomb with a flat top made of mud brick or stone. The mastaba had a well inside that led to an underground burial chamber. The Egyptians also sometimes dug out rocks from steep cliffs to create burial chambers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Of course, the most famous and notable Egyptian tombs were the massive pyramids that they began erecting around 2700 BC. The most magnificent of all is the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built to house the pharaoh Khufu around 2550 BC. This gigantic beauty stands 481 feet tall and took approximately 2.3 million stone blocks to create. Part of the block weighs up to 15 tons. The pyramids were part of a complex city surrounded by temples and other buildings. The Egyptians believed that a person's spirit disconnected from the body at the time of death, but could only be awakened in the afterlife if the appropriate rituals were performed at the time of death. This involved carefully preserving the body. This is how the mummification process began around 2600 BC. Mummification is the process of removing moisture from the body in order to leave behind a dried form that would resist decay. When the process began, it was so complex and expensive that it was only used for pharaohs. Later, a simplified version was available to other Egyptians. The mummification process was carried out by a special class of priests. These priests were responsible for caring for and wrapping the body. During mummification, priests also performed rituals and prayers. The first step was brain removal. The brain was removed through the nostrils using a hook instrument. Special care was taken to ensure that the corpse's face was not disfigured in the process. Then the priest would open the abdomen and remove other organs such as the stomach, liver, lungs and intestines. Often these organs were kept separately in jars or wrapped and reinserted into the body. The only organ that remained intact was the heart. The Egyptians believed that the heart contained the core of intelligence and spirit. The next task was to cover the corpse with natron, a salt that acts as a drying agent. Additional natron pouches were also placed inside the body. Once all the moisture had been absorbed, the priest washed the natron. Removing moisture would make certain areas of the corpse appear sunken, so the priest would place linen and other materials in these areas to fill them. This was done so that the corpse continued to resemble the person who looked alive. The next step was to wrap the body. The body was wrapped in hundreds of meters of fabric cut into strips. The priest would write prayers and enchanted words on the cloth and insert amulets between the layers to protect the dead from any danger they might encounter on their journey to the afterlife. Often, they attached a mask designed to resemble that person's face between the strips of..