Mummification

What is mummification?

Mummification is a way of preserving a body, which can be done to animals or humans. Some mummies are preserved wet, frozen, or dry. This is a natural process but it can be deliberately achieved.

Making a mummy

To make a mummy the Egyptians first checked that you were actually dead by shouting at you. Then they washed you in salt water and in embalmers. Your brain is then yanked out through your nose with a specially designed hook – then just got thrown away. Your lungs, stomach, liver and your intestines were then taken out and were put in canopic jars which would be buried with you in your tomb. Then you were covered a salt mixture called natron and were left for about a month. Natron was a natural substance that is found on the abundance of the Nile. It is made up of a mixture of salts, which act together as a drying agent. This procedure sucks out all your moisture left in your body and when you have got rid of the moisture you have eliminated all the sources of decay. By this time you wouldn’t look good so your skin was softened with oil, then you were stuffed with sawdust to reform your former shape. Onions were also sometimes used to make some false eyes. Your body was then parcelled in up to twenty layers of linen. The bandages were glued together using goo that that turned you rock – hard and waterproof. Sometimes limbs fell off during the whole process so wooden ones were put on instead. Your body was then snugly popped into its sarcophagus (a stone coffin) and taken to your tomb.

Coffins And Cases

When the Egyptians had finished making the mummy they placed it in a coffin, to give it extra protection. The earliest coffins were just simply made of reeds or wood, but later they were decorated beautifully.

Early coffins were a simple rectangular shape, but they later became shaped like people probably to make it look more realistic. The mummies of wealthier Egyptians were cased in more than one coffin to keep it well protected. The pharaoh’s coffins were probably decorated with silver and even gold. The outermost coffin of a pharaoh was called the sarcophagus, which was made of stone. The first sarcophagus’ that were made were just a heavy rectangular box that was undecorated which made it look dull. Later they were carved with pictures of goddesses, one guarding each corner. By 2,500 years ago the human-shaped sarcophagus was a completely different thing and had become fashionable.