The Greatest Journey: How Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings tell the story of the Afterlife

Joanna Grunt

Not every trip requires a passport and a suitcase. In ancient Egypt, the most important journey was the one taken after death, a spiritual passage from this world into eternity. While current travellers cross borders, the ancient Egyptians crossed into the afterlife. And to guide them on this sacred path, they covered the walls of their mausoleums with vibrant murals depicting gods, symbols and scenes from daily life.

These tomb paintings were much more than decorative. They served as visual guides for the soul, showing how to reach the afterlife and find eternal peace. They provide us with the insight into the cultural values and spiritual beliefs of the Egyptians, as well as into how they prepared for what they believed came after life.

One of the most powerful murals found in many tombs is the Weighing of the Heart scene. In this ritual, the heart of the deceased is placed on a scale and weighed against the feather of Ma'at, the goddess of truth. If the heart is lighter than the feather, the person is considered pure and allowed to pass into the afterlife. If it’s not, it is devoured by the demon Ammit, which permanently destroys the soul. It was believed that if the soul passed the test, it would continue into the Field of Reeds, a perfect version of Egypt where everything was peaceful and eternal. Tomb paintings repeatedly depicted this utopia.

Another vision of the afterlife appears in the tomb of Tutankhamun. On the north wall, the young pharaoh is depicted being greeted by Osiris, the god of the afterlife, and performing rituals that help him become divine. These images show a spiritual transformation, not only survival after death, but elevation into something more: a god-like being. In this sense the afterlife was a journey towards something greater than merely a continuation of life.

Through tomb paintings, we can see how Egyptians imagined the afterlife, not as an ending but as a long complex and hopeful journey. They saw death not as something to be afraid of but as something one can be prepared for by their rituals, beliefs, and most importantly art. So, while today we may dream of traveling the world, the ancient Egyptians dreamed of travelling beyond it. They left many clues as to where they thought they were going:, across rivers and into eternity because of the art they left behind.