Mummification Facts

Mummification was essential to the Egyptians. They believed that it was necessary for passage to the afterlife. The embalmers would set up workshops near the mummy. It took them about seventy days to embalm a body. There were many steps in processing the bodies of the dead.

The first thing they did was to wash and purify the corpse. They slit the left side of the body so that the intestines, liver, stomach, and lungs could be removed. Each organ was embalmed using natron, also known as salt. Naton dried out the organs and kept bacteria from decaying tissues. The organs were individually wrapped with long strips of linen. The organs were placed in canopic jars. These jars were made to look like the four sons of Horus, an Egyptian God. Each jar was entrusted to protect an organ. The jar with a falcon head held the intestines. The jar with a jackal head contained the stomach. The baboon head jar held the lungs. The jar with the human head contained the liver. The Egyptians felt these organs were vital for the afterlife. Once these organs were removed they stuffed the body with more natron. Next, the brain is removed. They began scrambling the brain with a hook and removing it through the nose. The brain was considered unimportant to the Egyptians. Once removed they disregarded the remains.

The body was placed on an embalming table and completely covered with natron. Allowing the fluids to drip away as the body dried out. This took about forty days for the process to be complete. Once the natron was removed from the body, the corpse was dried and shrunken. Once again the body was cleaned with Unguents to help preserve the mummy's skin. They stuffed the head with packing and the cut from removing the organs is sewn up. The mummy is now ready for bandaging. The entire body is wrapped in about twenty layers of cloth. The embalmers used resin to glue layers together. The mummy is adorned with jewels, gold, and protective amulets.

The body and canopic jars are transported by sled to the tomb. Religious ceremonies were held to prepare the dead for the afterlife. The Opening of the Mouth Ceremony was believed to allow the mummy to eat, see, hear, and drink in the spirit world. The early Egyptians buried their dead in pits out in the desert. However, they later buried them in coffins to protect the dead from wild animals. There are a lot of details to learn between the process of embalming the body and wrapping it up for burial. You can learn more from www.egyptologyonline.com