How Ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians Cope With Death

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Response Paper on Death in Ancient Cultures
In regard to the Epic of Gilgamesh, I think death is an inevitable and inescapable fact of human life. However, we become immortal in other people’s memories based on our deeds during life. In this epic, Gilgamesh goes on a quest to find immortality after collaborating with his companion, Enkidu, to perform stunts that anger the gods, leading to Enkidu's death (George 300). Gilgamesh ultimately loses his opportunity for physical immortality even after going through many trials. His attempts to bring Enkidu back to life also bear no fruits, forcing him to believe that only gods can live forever. However, Gilgamesh becomes immortal in Uruk’s memory.
In my opinion, the heroic deeds on earth make us immortal, though in other people’s memories. Although physical death is inescapable, we can always be remembered for our actions on earth. In today’s world, for instance, we read stories about people who died many centuries ago and their heroic actions. Their images and statues are available in our museums, indicating that they live in our memories. Therefore, by reading the epic, we gain the insight that immortality is unreachable.
The Book on the Dead, however, describes the journey through the afterlife based on the Egyptian’s beliefs and attitude towards death (Scalf and Lowry 377). Egyptians believed in the afterlife with absolute certainty. Every believer lives their life with vigor, hoping there is life after death. They also believed that the physical body and the soul were resurrected in their afterlife (Agai 17). Therefore, Egyptians highly valued life and the physical body, which stretched to their post-death traditions. They portrayed the afterlife as a heavenly extension of the earthly life. The perception of heaven resembled that of other ancient and contemporary religions, where believers perceive that they can live in eternal satisfaction and glory.
In my view, the ‘‘practices of dying well’’ described in the Book of the Dead stem from Egyptian belief in life after death. Since Egyptians believe there is an afterlife, there is no reason to fear death. The only death one must fear is the second death, where one dies in body and spirit. This is a world of great fear that Egyptians believe awaits sinners. Similar to Christians, Egyptians believe in a strong and divine Supreme Being. According to Taylor (28), Egyptians believe that deities judge a person to determine their soul’s worthiness. It is a critical and ending part of the afterlife journey whe...