>>7723139>But wasn't the mummy stuck in a giant, heavy, locked sarcophagus/coffin, blocking their path? Or is the afterlife like a different dimension or something?Very good point. Ba was alble to go through stone, walls and everything but mummies were protected by magic spells written on wrapping and amulets placed between each layer. Here's a piece of bandage, with spells and magic formulas written on it. Ba couldn't see through this, hence the use of funeral mask, so it could see who's there. The idea was to protect the body from evil souls, gods and other demons.
>>7723139>And did the common peasantry get such treatment, or just members of the royal family and upper classes? What did other Egyptians do in terms of last/funeral rites?Yes and no. Of course they weren't placed in golden coffins or something but even peasants could have wooden funeral masks. Egyptians lived their life constantly preparing for death, and what was even more important, the afterlife. Families often had smaller mastabas or tombs where they buried each memeber, for many generations. The funeral ritual was mostly the same as for pharaohs and queens, the only difference was the budget. Pharaoh had funeral boat and massive "celebration" (they didn't celebrate his death, they celebrated his ascension and becoming the one with gods) dozens and dozens of Ushabti (small figures that were supposed to serve him/her in afterlife) while peasants had just smaller funeral. Let's say compare a modern funeral of a president with a modern funeral of a random working class person.
