Mummification wasn’t required for the afterlife, but a corpse needed to retain its integrity for resurrection, according to History Extra, but many elite Egyptians had certain (expensive) ideas about their final resting place and that meant coffins and tombs—both prone to accelerate the corpse-rotting process.

The 5th-century Greek historian, Herodotus, wrote about some of the cheaper alternatives for preservation, including filling the stomach with spices like myrrh and cassia before sewing it closed, said Discovering Egypt. One thing, though, that the poor never thought about was preserving the heart — and often merely removed it. “The whole point was to have an enjoyable afterlife, and you would definitely want your heart for that,” said anthropologist Andrew Wade of Canada’s University of Western Ontario to USA Today. 

Without their ticker, commoners got a raw deal in their next life — with the elite still obtaining a more fortunate lifestyle. That useful bit of information seemed reserved for the rich, and even the ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead,” a guidebook for reaching the afterlife skewed things for the rich. While the wealthy received papyrus scrolls with personalized prayers for the deceased, the poor either got pre-written versions or none at all (from History for Kids)! Typically social status stayed with you — as you were in life, you remained in that position during death — and the elite ensured that by keeping their mummification secrets.