Why mummies exist

The prayers in the Book of the Dead were intended to help the deceased make a successful transition to the afterlife. T he art of mummification was perfected in the Third Intermediate Period B. Late Period , the Greek historian Herodotus documented the process:. Next, the flank is slit open. The cavity is then thoroughly cleansed and washed out. Then it is filled with pure crushed myrrh, cassia, and all other aromatic substances, except frankincense.

When this period. N atron, a disinfectant and desiccating agent, was the main ingredient used in the mummification process. A compound of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate salt and baking soda , natron essentially dried out the corpse. Obtained from dried-up river beds, it was packed around and inside the body in linen bags, and left for 35 to 40 days to draw moisture out of the tissues.

By removing the organs and packing the internal cavity with dry natron, the body tissues were preserved. The body was filled with Nile mud, sawdust, lichen and cloth scraps to make it more flexible. Small cooking onions or linen pads were sometimes used to replace the eyes. Beginning in the third dynasty, the internal organs lungs, stomach, liver and intestines were removed, washed with palm wine and spices, and stored in four separate canopic jars made of limestone, calcite or clay. Prior to this, the abdominal contents were removed, wrapped and buried in the floor of the tomb.

However, the heart was left in the body because it was considered the centre of intelligence. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought.

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The era of greyhound racing in the U. Through a magical process, these models, pictures, and lists would become the real thing when needed in the Afterlife.

Everything was now ready for the funeral. As part of the funeral, priests performed special religious rites at the tomb's entrance. The most important part of the ceremony was called the "Opening of the Mouth. By touching the instrument to the mouth, the dead person could now speak and eat.

He was now ready for his journey to the Afterlife. The mummy was placed in his coffin, or coffins, in the burial chamber and the entrance sealed up. Such elaborate burial practices might suggest that the Egyptians were preoccupied with thoughts of death. On the contrary, they began early to make plans for their death because of their great love of life. They could think of no life better than the present, and they wanted to be sure it would continue after death.

But why preserve the body? The Egyptians believed that the mummified body was the home for this soul or spirit. If the body was destroyed, the spirit might be lost. The idea of "spirit" was complex involving really three spirits: the ka, ba, and akh.

The ka, a "double" of the person, would remain in the tomb and needed the offerings and objects there. The ba, or "soul", was free to fly out of the tomb and return to it. And it was the akh, perhaps translated as "spirit", which had to travel through the Underworld to the Final Judgment and entrance to the Afterlife. To the Egyptian, all three were essential.

After death, the pharaohs of Egypt usually were mummified and buried in elaborate tombs. Members of the nobility and officials also often received the same treatment, and occasionally, common people. However, the process was an expensive one, beyond the means of many. For religious reasons, some animals were also mummified. The sacred bulls from the early dynasties had their own cemetery at Sakkara. Baboons, cats, birds, and crocodiles, which also had great religious significance, were sometimes mummified, especially in the later dynasties.

Egyptians who were poor were buried in the sand whilst the rich ones were buried in a tomb. It took a very long time, from start to finish, it took about 70 days to embalm a body. The priest in charge would wear the mask of a jackal representing the god Anubis. The body was washed and purified.

Organs were removed. Only the heart remained. The body was filled with stuffing. This substance absorbed all the moisture from the body. After 40 - 50 days the stuffing was removed and replaced with linen or sawdust. The body was wrapped in strands of linen and covered in a sheet called a shroud. The body was placed in a stone coffin called a sarcophagus. Natron is a natural salt, composed of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate with traces of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate.

It was used by the ancient egyptians to dry out the bodies. Who was the god of mummification? Anubis was the god of mummification.

He had a human body and the head of a jackal. His job was to prepare the bodies of the dead to be received by Osiris. Ancient Egyptians were buried with their belongings and the tomb walls were painted with scenes from the dead persons life.

The objects included furniture, games and even food was placed in the tombs for the long After Life journey! Canopic Jars were used by ancient Egyptians to hold mummified remains.