Mummification

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Mummification

• By Elena ,
• Briana ,
• and April

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What is Mummification?

• Mummification is the process of a person being
  wrapped in a special cloth material. The reason
  to be mummified was to live again with the gods
  of Egypt. Anyone could be mummified, but if you
  were wealthy and paid more money a better job was
  done.
• Mummification was a very sacred thing for the
  Egyptians. It was part of their religion which
  guided every aspect of Egyptian life.

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How It Started

• When a person died, (and wished to be mummified)
  the priest would recite prayers to try to revive
  the deceased. The dead body would be placed in a
  holy shelter called an ibu. Then the body would
  be taken away to the embalmers workshop to begin
  the process of mummification.

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The Beginning

• The first step to mummification is to wash the
  dead body with palm wine. After the body has been
  washed, they would make a small cut on the left
  side of the body. Then they would take out the
  liver, lungs, stomach, small and large
  intestines. They also take out the brains by
  inserting a long hook through the nose to liquefy
  it. It was necessary to turn the body upside
  down, so the brain could ooze out. The reason why
  the Egyptians treated the brain so bad was
  because they thought it had no purpose but to
  produce snot!

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Drying the Mummy

• Once all this was done, the body would be stuffed
  with bundles of natron, and completely covered
  with it. Natron helped the body dry, and this
  took approximately forty days. The body would
  have to be tilted so the fluids could leak out.
• The body would be washed again with water from
  the Nile River. Later, it would be covered with
  sweet smelling oils. Not only that, but also it
  would be stuffed with dried things, such as
  sawdust, leaves and linen. The body is then
  covered with more oils.

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The Canopic Jars

• The organs that were taken out of the body would
  be individually preserved in a special canister
  called a canopic jar. Each of the lids would be
  shaped into one of the four sons of Horus. The
  sons of Horus had the job of guarding the
  entrails. The shape of the human was Imset, who
  guarded the liver. The jackal, Daumutef guarded
  the stomach. The hawk, Qebehsenuf , guarded the
  intestines and the baboon, Hapy, guarded the
  lungs.

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Wrapping

• The Isis knot and the Plummet was next. The
  spells from the book of the dead were read. The
  arms and legs were tied together, and a scroll is
  placed between the hands of the deceased. At this
  point, the body is fully wrapped up.
• Since the body is completely covered, it is
  then painted with liquid resin as glue. The body
  is wrapped once again and but this time Osiris is
  painted on the cloth. Another large cloth is
  wrapped around the body. Now linen strips are
  wrapped around the body to hold the cloth in
  place. The opening of the mouth ceremony is
  performed. This is used to let the body have its
  five senses in the after life.

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Amulets

• The body is now ready for the next stage
  wrapping. The cloth they used to wrap the body
  was linen. The first things wrapped were the head
  and neck. Not one piece of the head and neck
  would be showing. Next the fingers and toes would
  be wrapped. Following that, the legs and arms
  were next. The sacred amulets (which were small)
  were placed upon his chest while wrapping in each
  layer. There were four sacred amulets.

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The Last Step.

• It is now moved to its first coffin. After being
  placed in there, it is moved to the second
  coffin. A very special and holy ceremony is held
  for the mummy. It is (again) moved to the
  sarcophagus. Lastly it is put in its final
  resting place, the tomb or pyramid.
• These are the steps used to mummify a human. They
  were used for many years, and scientists have
  already tried to mummify a human. There are still
  many mysteries of mummification that will someday
  be solved.

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Bye-bye!