The Ancient Art and Burial Practices in the Service of Mental Health (Images of the Soul in Ancient Egyptian Culture)

The article raises the question of what constituted images of the human soul in Ancient Egypt.To answer it, the author considers, on the one hand, the image of man in the first two cultures (Archaic and the culture of the Ancient Kingdoms) and on the other hand, the understanding of art at that time.Four interpretations of the soul in Ancient Egypt are analyzed (the ordinary one during life and four after death -"Ba", "Ka", "shadow" and "Akh").It is shown that from a theoretical point of view (in cultural studies and semiotics), these interpretations can be understood as objectifications of schemes created to resolve problematic situations in certain anthropopractices, some of which we would today classify as practical psychology.A reconstruction of these problematic situations and anthropopractices is proposed.It is concluded that man and art were understood in the Ancient world completely differently than in the Modern era and that ancient art helped man cope with his problems, including the fear of death.