> If the purpose isn't to "preserve the body for the afterlife," and is instead to guide the soul, and the preservation of the body is just a coincidental byproduct of their rituals, I would say that's a pretty significant 180.

Is there significant evidence that early Egyptian cultures believed in the concept of a soul distinct from the physical body?

I could be mistaken, but my understanding is that the concept of a soul/body dichotomy was more of a Hellenistic Greek thing and wouldn't come around for a couple thousand years after the Egyptians started mummifying folks.