Mummification

Introduction

Mummification is a method of [reserving artificially the body if deceased people and animals. Ancient Egyptian civilization is not

the only\one in the world to have practiced this custom, but the Egyptian mummies are the best know often to the chagrin of professional Egyptologists, tend to be regarded

The embodiment of ancient Egypt itself&main object of interest for those who study it mummies can contribute to our knowledge in various ways, in particular by providing information on such subjects as illnesses &conditions of ancient Egyptians, their diet . in the case of royal mummies, we add our understanding of Egyptian chronology by helping to establish the age of king at the time of his death: family relationship can also be discovered from examination of mummies& their DNA testing

Mummification was introduced as a result of human interaction with the environment .it was an attempt to n preserve an element by artificial means when new burial customs started threading natural preservation.

For the most pre-dynastic period burials were very simple. Bodies were placed in shallow graves dug on the edge of the desert& covered with sand. In the dry atmosphere, the contact with hot sand produced dehydration very quickly often before the tissues decomposed, so that bodies were sometimes preserved by entirely natural means.

his not escape attention because such mummies were from time to time accidentally uncovered & a belief developed that the preservation of the body was essential for mans continued existence after death. when at the end of the pre-dynastic period some of the graces turned into larger tombs & coffins introduced these natural conditions were altered in particular the content with sand.it becomes necessary to look for methods that would achieve by official means what nature had previously accomplished& unaided &thus the custom of mummification was introduced.

It s history is one of a continues to struggle between 2 approaches to the problem. the 1st aimed at genuine preservation of the body, while the other more formalistic, concerned on the mummy

wrapping & packing.

The peak of the craft of mummification was reached at the end of the new king down & in the period immediately following form then on, there was a sharp decline, as if in recognition of the impossibility of the task, & formalistic approach prevailed

MUMMIFICATION STEPS

Putting the crops on the operating

Shortly after death, the body was brought to the per nefer. the house of the mummification it was stripped of all its clothes & put on an operating table for the extraction of the brain & Viscera. one of these tables was found by win lock at Der El Bahari

Extraction of brain

Since the brain is among tissues which suffer quick putrefaction the ancient Egyptians extracted it before starting the dehydration process. a chisel was passed through the ethmoid bone into the cranial cavity & then, with a rode hooked at one end they cut the brain into small pieces which were taken out with another rod. The inner edge of which was bent in a form a spoon

Extraction of the viscera

The viscera were removed for 2 reasons the 1st is the quick ability of the food remai8ns in the intestines as well as of some of their tissues to putrefaction. The intestines, as porphyry

Sterilization of the body cavities &viscera

The thoracic & abdominal cavities, as well as the extracted viscera, were then all washed with palm wine & spices .palm wine, as manufactured in ancient Egypt, usually contained about 14% of alcohol . its noteworthy that ethyl alcohol is one of the most important sterilizing materials still for medical purposes

Embalming the viscera

The viscera were freed of their contents, washed & sterilized as above. They were then most probably, dehydrated by being buried in solid natron on as small slanting bed for about 40 days after being dried & re-sterilized was accomplished by putting the body in a heap of dry natron on slanting bed, known as the bed of mummification at the end which there is a small canal water. They were anointed with perfume. oil & treated with molten resin. Lately, they were wrapped in 4 separate packages & in some cases introduced into small anthropoid coffins of gold such as those of king tut of the liver such as of Sheshonq 1. these small coffins were put into canopic jars. each being identified with one of the 4 sons of Horus. Until the end of the 18th dyn , after18th.dyn they were fashioned into the actual shapes of the 4 sons of Horus.

The temporary stuffing of the thoracic & abdominal cavities

The thoracic & abdominal cavities were next packed with 3 kinds of temporary stuffing materials enclosed in linen packets containing dry natron to speed the dehydration of the body tissues from inside packets of linen to linen absorb the extracted water which might collect the 2 cavities , & packets of linen impregnated with odoriferous gum resins to impart to the body a god odour & combat the odour off putrefaction furring the long period need for the dehydration of the body

Dehydration of the body

This was the main operation in the whole process of mummification. it depend scientifically upon the extraction of the water of the body by osmosis

& it was accomplished by putting the body in a heap of dry natron on a slanting bed, known as the bed of mummification at the end which 3 small canals leading to a small semicircular basin in which was collected the water extracted from the body . it seems that this process needed 40 days

&40 days were fulfilled for him. for so are fulfilled the days of those who are embalmed & the Egyptians mourned for him threescore & 10 days

It is the most probable therefore that the dehydration process might have taken40daysthe remaining 30 days from the total 70 days which were required for the entire mummification process as it mentioned in many ancient Egyptian texts were most probably used for carrying out the remaining steps & ceremonies associated with them as mentioned in the book of (rituals of embal min)

Removal of the temporary stuffing material

after the dehydration process had been completed, the body was taken out of the natron & the temporary stuffing materials taken out of its thoracic & abdominal cavities.

They had become saturated & would lead to putrefaction if left in the body.

They were put in special jars which were buried in the sand near the tomb in a little chamber beside it. Many samples of these refuse embalming materials have been discovered & used.

Packing the body cavities with permanent stuffing materials

The cranial cavity was then stuffed with resin or with linen soaked in resin. the thoracic & abdominal cavities were most probably washed with palm wine then stuffed with fresh dry materials most of which were enclosed in linen packets of linen cloth impregnated with resin sawdust & occasionally 1 or 2 onions in the most cases the 2 lips of the incision were then drawn together closed with resinous paste, bee wax or linen smeared with inscribed with the sacred eye of Horus in a few cases however the embalming incision was sewn up with linen string.

Anointing the body

The body was anointed with cedar oil & other precious ointments & then rubbed with myrrh, cinnamon & other fragrant materials.

Packing the face openings

The mouth, the ears & the nose were packed with bee wax or linen soaked in molten resin. The eyeballs packed with slightly pressed down covered with pads of linen dipped in molten resin & the eyelids drawn over them so that they might appear in their normal level as they had been in life.

Streaming the skin with molten resin

The whole body surface was treated with molten resin which would strengthen the skin & at the same time close its pores to prevent moisture from penetrating into it again

Adorning & bandaging the mummy

The mummy was adorned with the jeweler previously prepared for it & with amulets. the mummy of tut was adorned by 134 fine pieces of jewelry, including rings earrings, necklace collars pectorals bracelets, & various kind of amulets in some cases griddle of disk beads with a central pendant in the form of a crouching falcon in carnelian was worn around the abdomen of the mummy in such a way that this hawk pendant lay over the embalming incision the function of this amulet was evidently to protect the lower part of body &magically to seal the embalming incision.

The body then bandaged with bandages mad to stick to the body & to each other with molten resin or gum-resin. After the completion of all these processes, &religious rites in association with them the priest performed for the mummy a priest touched the mouth of the mummy to restore to the dead person

All the faculties of life so that as they believed he might once more speak eat &move his arms &legs.