The Reason for Preserving the Dead
Ancient Egyptians believed that death was the end of physical life on earth, but the beginning of eternal life. They thought that in the eternal life you could live free from physical limits of age or poorness just as the god Osiris did once. He was once a mortal human. Those who perished or died and were preserved underground were said tobe "Those whose place is hidden, or mysterious." A mummy myths says the mummies sank to the dark, endless, and chaotic pit of good or evil.
In the "Old Kingdom" mummification was only available to the Kings and Pharaohs. They gave the body regular offerings of food and drink. The main reason for preservation is that the Ancient Egyptians believed that one's soul would break free, but they would still physically be on earth. Another main reason is that the individual identity was to be preserved for the after-life.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that the sun moved around the earth. During the day, the sun moved from the east to the western horizon. After setting in the west, they believed the sun descended into the "Underworld", and traveled under the earth until it came up again in the east. For this reason the"Underworld" is sometimes called the "West". That's the reason for preserving the dead.
p://wwhttw.si.umich.edu/CHICO/mummy/Afterlife/Afterworld/AWorld.html
