”In the face of death we are all the same’. This was not the case for all Egyptians. Not only was there a social difference, religion also formed a barrier between the rich, who were usually buried in a tomb protected against jackals and other vicious desert animals, and the poor, who had no money to have their body embalmed. Remains who were buried without a sarcophagus one meter underground in the desert sand, were soon to be wasted away by the hand of time, and would never be able bask in the happiness of the afterlife.’
– Straat. E. ed. (1967) Sesam Nieuwe Geïllustreerde Wereldgeschiedenis [Sesam New World History] Baarn, The Netherlands: Bosch & Keuning p. 22[1]
[1] This paraphrase is based on a Dutch translation of Grimberg. C., Svanström. R. 1904. Världhistoria vol. 1 Stockholm, Sweden: P. A. Norstedt & Söner.
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