Ancient Egyptians were incredible tomb builders. From the simple shaft tombs to the Great Pyramid, when it came to the afterlife the Egyptians liked to be well prepared. This might lead to the incorrect assumption that the ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death, but that was simply not the case. They were obsessed with life, and they did not want it to end. The Egyptian idea of the afterlife was a lot like mortal life, only better. If you can imagine getting to retire while still in your prime, and never getting older, then you will have a pretty good idea of what the ancient Egyptians had in mind.
However, as is always the case with the hereafter, there were conditions attached. Along with all of the normal expectations about living a just life, the ancient Egyptians believed that the preservation of the body was absolutely essential for passage into the afterlife. Over time this led to the development of one of the most complex and ritualized religious systems in history, one which has left us some of the most beautiful sacred monuments and iconography ever created. But even from the earliest days of predynastic Egypt, mummification was an established part of Egyptian religion.