Egyptian Mummy
Originally the Egyptians did not mummify
their dead at all. In early Egyptian times, the dead were simply buried in
reed caskets in the sand. The searing hot sand caused the remains to dry quickly
preventing decomposition. But when they began constructing tombs, and wood
caskets for the dead, the sand could not get to the bodies. The bodies then
started decomposing, so the Egyptians developed an elaborate mummification
process.
The first step in the mummification
process, was the embalming of the body. The dead body was embalmed with
several preserving fluids. Then the major organs were removed, with the
exception of the heart. The organs were placed in for Canopic jars. One held
the intestines, another the stomach, another the lungs, and the last one held
the liver. Surprisingly, the Egyptians did not keep the brain at all. The
heart was the most important organ of all, and was said to house the person's Ba
or soul. It was left in.
After the organs were removed, the body
was stuffed with cotton and linen, and sewed back up. Next the eyes were
removed, and replaced with either cotton, or fake eyeballs. After the body was
finished, it was wrapped with strips of linen that had been soaked in
embalming fluid. Finally it was covered with linen cloth, and bound carefully.
The Mummified body was then placed in its
coffin, along with several amulets to ward off bad spirits, and grave robbers.
In death the Egyptian still needed his body, so it was vitally important that
the body was well preserved, so the Egyptian didn't have any problem in the
afterlife. -- Written by: Michael
D. Peach.
Research Links
WHO
WAS WHO AMONG THE ROYAL MUMMIES
... been given permission by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization to secure
tissue
and bone samples from the royal mummy collection during the restoration and ...
Mummies - Guardian's
Egypt
... Make A Mummy National Geographic presents this feature on mummies. Egyptian
Mummy
Tissue Bank Learn about the world's first international Egyptian Mummy Tissue
...
Egyptian Royal Tombs of the
New Kingdom
... for over a century. (See "The Pronunciation of Ancient
Egyptian."). ... that it contains
only one picture of a mummy. The Egyptians did not spend their time looking ...
Description: Maps, diagrams, and detailed
information about the Egyptian Royal Tombs.
Egypt and Art
... and why they were made. Meet Mumab I, the first mummy to be made using the
ancient
Egyptian recipe in nearly 2000 years. . . . . Glossary of Egyptian Mythology ...
NOVA Online | Ice
Mummies of the Inca | Mummies of the ...
... dried corpses out quickly enough to mummify them. In fact, the oldest-known
Egyptian
mummy, dated around 3500 BC, is believed to have been created in this way. ...
Exhibit of Artifacts
... other Egyptian antiquities. Today, these artifacts form the core of the
permanent
collection of the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology. Iret-iruw: Mummy.
...
3-D
reconstruction of ancient Egyptian mummy
3-D Reconstruction of Ancient Egyptian Mummy using
X-ray Computer Tomography. C.Baldock [1 ...
Television: Make a
Mummy @ nationalgeographic.com
PBS. ... in ancient Egypt, was a lost art, until Bob Brier decided to learn by
doing.
He and a team of experts retraced the steps of the Egyptian masters.
The Mummy Page
... But according to Egyptian belief, interment of the mummy did not
automatically insure
entrance into the afterworld. The deceased had first to appear before a ...
