How an ancient society chooses to honor, remember, and protect its dead is historically significant. By studying the burial rituals of ancient societies, historians can better understand any society and how it functions. Most societies have very specific rules for burials, so each person knows exactly what to do to ensure a clear path to an afterlife better than today. The Egyptian and Etruscan people were two very different societies with very different ideas about burial rituals and protection. Every Egyptian or Etruscan citizen knew with complete faith that a sure path to heaven awaited them. To understand protection in the context of burial, it is important to examine how each society was run, who ran it, and what the goals of the society's leaders were. The all-powerful Egyptians ruled their entire empire with total absolute control, ruled by an absolute monarch, the Pharaoh. The pharaoh decided the correct procedure for just about everything that happened in ancient Egypt. From the Encyclopedia Britannica of Egyptian Religion: “The task of the king as the protagonist of human society was to retain the benevolence of the gods by maintaining order against disorder” (Britannica). The burial practices of the average Egyptian citizen were very different from those of a pharaoh. The average citizen would be buried in the desert, wrapped in cloth and with valuable food and possessions, with little need for protection. The Pharaoh planned his entire life to know exactly how the funeral ritual would be remembered and how Pharaoh could protect his legacy for eternity. The greatest protector the world has ever seen is the Great Sphinx statue at the Giza funerary complex. The Giza funerary complex is a mixture of assorted Pharaoh... middle of paper ...... encken 126-7). Using the tumulus or mound tomb method, the Etruscans were able to hide these elaborate tombs in plain sight. Today's scholars appreciate this protective insight as they explore the treasure trove of information and artifacts preserved in Etruscan tombs. The Egyptian and Etruscan people were very different in many ways, but what they had in common was a respect for the afterlife. Many of their strange rituals seem bizarre by today's standards. Human sacrifices, underground cities for the dead, but it worked for them. I'm sure today our society follows many rituals that any average Egyptian or Etruscan would at least question. The world today owes all the societies of the past a mighty thank you. Without the extreme level of protection of the burial sites, we would not have access to all the wonderful knowledge that these burial sites provide..