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Mum If Ication

Mummification in ancient Egypt began during the Pre-dynastic Period, where natural preservation occurred in desert graves. As burial practices evolved, Egyptians developed artificial methods to preserve bodies, including organ removal and the use of canopic jars. By the New Kingdom, embalming techniques became increasingly sophisticated, culminating in the use of molten resin, and this practice continued until the rise of Christianity in Egypt around 500 A.D.

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13 views2 pages

Mum If Ication

Mummification in ancient Egypt began during the Pre-dynastic Period, where natural preservation occurred in desert graves. As burial practices evolved, Egyptians developed artificial methods to preserve bodies, including organ removal and the use of canopic jars. By the New Kingdom, embalming techniques became increasingly sophisticated, culminating in the use of molten resin, and this practice continued until the rise of Christianity in Egypt around 500 A.D.

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saedaelshraky4
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Mumification

During the Pre-dynastic Period (6000 to 3000 B.C.), Egyptians buried their
dead in shallow oval graves dug in the desert. Corpses were preserved because
hot, dry sand naturally absorbs bodily fluids. Egyptians came to believe that the
preserved bodies were home to a soul that was still living.

Once Egypt was unified into a single state and stone tombs and coffins were
made, the bodies, no longer in contact with the drying sands, began to deteriorate.
Believing it was necessary to keep the body intact, the Egyptians first began to
artificially preserve them. Some of the corpses were wrapped in layers of linen
soaked in resin (a liquid plant waste product similar to sap that hardens into a
transparent solid). Each finger, toe, and limb were wrapped separately. The
organs and skin decomposed completely, leaving just a skeleton wrapped in linen.
In an attempt to counteract this, the Egyptians tried to create physical features
out of padded linen in a shape similar to a human body.

During the fourth dynasty, (2613 - 2494 B.C.), it became common practice
to remove the corpse’s organs. Sometimes, the body was filled with vegetable
matter to give it a more life-like appearance. The organs were placed in
containers called canopic jars. These jars were kept in the burial chamber with
the body so that the organs could be reunited with the body in the afterlife. The
embalmers also used natron, a salt found in the desert to artificially dry out the
body.
By the Early Middle Kingdom, they made the first attempts to remove the
brain through the base of the skull. During the same time period face masks were
created for mummies. The masks were constructed of plaster-soaked papyrus or
linen, painted or gilded, then placed over the head of the mummy.
In the New Kingdom, (1550 to 1069 B.C.) embalming became more and
more sophisticated. Embalmers began to artificially compensate for the loss of
life-like features. They made slits in the skin of the torso and limbs and inserted
mixtures of sawdust, fat, linen, and salt to imitate muscle. By the Late Period,
embalmers started to fill bodies with molten resin rather than the more realistic
sawdust or linens. Egyptians continued to mummify their dead in preparation for
the afterlife up until the advent of Christianity in Egypt around 500 A.D.

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