Mummification
Mummification
In order to live for all eternity and be presented in front of Osiris, the body of the deceased had to be preserved by mummification, so that the soul could reunite with it, and take pleasure in the Afterlife. The main process of mummification was dehydrating the body using natron, a natural material found in Wadi Natrun which is a combination of baking soda and salt, to preserve the body. The body is drained of any liquids and left with skin, hair and muscles preserved.
This process was available for anyone who could afford it. It was believed that even those who could not afford this process could still enjoy the afterlife with the right reciting of spells. The most classic and common way of mummification dates back to the 18th dynasty. The first step was to remove the internal organs and liquid so that the body would not decay. The embalmers took out the brain by inserting a sharp object in the nostril and breaking the brain and liquefying it. The next step was to remove the internal organs, the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines, and place them in canopic jars with lids shaped like the heads of four protective deities, the sons of Horus. The heart stayed in the body, because in the hall of judgment it would be weighed against the feather of Maat. After the body was washed with wine, it was stuffed with bags of natron. The dehydration process took 40 days.
The second part of the process took 30 days. This was the time where the deceased turned into a semi divine being, and all that was done in the first part is removed with wine and then oils applied. The oils were for ritual purposes, as well as preventing the limbs and bones from breaking while being wrapped. The body was sometimes colored with a golden resin. This protected the body from bacteria and insects. This was also based on the belief that divine beings had flesh of gold. The body was wrapped in bandages with amulets while a priest recited prayers and burned incense. The dressing provided physical protection and the wealthier even had a burial mask of their head. The 70 days are connected to Osiris and the length the star Sothis was absent from the sky.
How to Mummify a Body
Before mummifying a person, imagine someone shouts to the community that a person recently died. People then prepares for the mourning ceremony. Although this sounds like a script in a movie to you, jobs are everywhere for professional mourners in ancient Egypt!
The embalmers wash and shave the deceased body at the Nile River. Gas masks don't exist yesterday so they must do everything for the body to smell clean. At their workshop, the embalmers gather their equipment before working on the brain.
To remove the brain, the embalmer inserts a hook through the roof of the nose. Pushing it back and forth, the brain breaks into several pieces. The brain takes a beating until the pulp drains through the nose. To dissolve the remaining pieces of the brain, the embalmer injects a fluid that consists of juniper oil and turpentine into the nasal cavity. With the sticky remains of the brain removed, it leaves a trail of a squeaky-clean, hollow skull.
The embalmer opens a slit in the abdomen to remove the internal organs of the body. The internal organs are discarded except the lungs, liver, intestines and the stomach. Believed to be the container of soul, the heart remains inside the body. To prevent a smelly cavity, they use palm wine with spices to clean and disinfect it. A follow through of sawdust, linen, resin, and other aromatic substances fills the cavity before sewing the incision.
For 40 days, the sun bakes the body with natron, a natural salt found in Egypt. Remember the internal organs? The embalmer washes and also dries it on the sun with natron. The canopic jars that represent the 4 sons of Horus will house the dried organs and to be kept in the tomb.
The body burns and dehydrates under the sun until tanned like a smoked barbecue. The embalmer needs to apply gums and resins to the body to repel insects from destroying the body. With bugs flying around the workshop, you don't want them to lay their eggs on the body and make it their nest!
Time to wrap the Egyptian mummy but first, we need two things, a priest wearing an Anubis mask to do the job, and a very, very, very, very, very long linen wrap! Meticulous embalmers wrap the mummy up to 40 layers of linen! With that amount of linen, a poor family asks mummy wraps from charity. While wrapping the dead, different kinds of amulets are placed and the priest recites incantations to conclude the ancient Egyptian mummification process.
The embalmer delivers the wrapped body to its family for burial. Whew! The painstaking process seemed like an open heart surgery. But remember, the mummies are in the mercy of the embalmers. One mistake and game over!
The Budget Mummy
Only the rich and famous Egyptians are capable of expensive mummification. For the less fortunate ones, an alternative mummification process is to inject the body with a liquid similar to what can dissolve the brain. The innards of the body is then drained from the anus before drying it in the sun with natron.
It doesn't matter to the Egyptians how they are mummified. Like in our standards today, brushing your teeth and going to school early prepares for our future career. For them, being dehydrated in the sun prepares their future afterlife!
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Mummification
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