Jammer Wrote:
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> Their tombs were designed to resemble their abodes
> because it was felt the Ka would re-inhabit the
> corpse and need the sustenance of the food
> offerings for eternal life after death.

I agree with this point on the basis that the interior tomb design was laid out in the manner of an abode. Where I differ has to do with the afterlife symbol of Horus atop the serekh. The king (when he was alive) was the living incarnation of the god Horus, symbolically in this form he was sometimes represented as a young horus sometimes suckling but AFAIK he was never symbolized as a hawk when he was living, only in the afterlife was the king represented as a hawk. My view is that his ka would return to his tomb, not his palace and that the serekh was a symbol used to identify him in his afterlife form at his tomb, hence with his horus name placed on all the goods placed in his tomb, not within his former palace. You could say that the serekh represented the kings 'afterlife palace' (i.e. tomb) but not his actual royal palace, as it is more than likely the king had many palaces at his disposal; remembering that in such a case his entire family and servants lived there as well and to my knowledge no evidence shows up with the kings serekh in the tombs of the royal family, only in his. If I am wrong please provide me with more than a scholars opinion, which is why I am challenging this otherwise mute point... ;-)

> The entire foundation on the death practices
> revolved around this need,

Agreed, all the more reason for the serekh to represent the tomb facade and not the palace facade.

> As an interesting aside, this included assuming
> the descendants would screw it up and forget to
> leave food offerings so carving food containers
> were made in the tombs to magically provide
> nourishment when (not if) your children and
> grandchildren cheap you out!

Originally, actual food and goods were placed in the tomb along with perhaps a few other sacrafices. My understanding is that either by cause of drought or ability actual food and sacrafices were replaced by carving all the goods within the tomb, knowing that tombs were built before the deceased was entered and most likely while they were alive it can be assumed that this change in practice was acceptable for the soon to be dead person.

Best Regards,

B.A. Hokom