Was the ancient Egyptian preoccupation with death a confident affirmation of life?
I think we have the impression that they were obsessed with death because much of what survives from ancient Egypt comes from tombs. But because they prepared for the afterlife does not mean they were not interested in this life. Most of the scenes in tomb painting depict people doing things they would have done in real life, working, hunting, dancing and playing music, taking part in religious festivals etc. Tombs and (in some cases) their contents have survived because they were built of stone. Houses in Egypt were built of mud bricks, so not much of them have survived, but the average Egyptian family would have been busy about their everyday activities most of the time. Most Egyptians most of the time were probably thinking about this life, not the next. Whether you are scared of death or not, you still have to get on with the business of living, whether yuo lived in ancient Egypt or in the present.
