The first evidence of intentional mummification in Egypt dates to 3500 B.C.

Parts of mummified human

bodies recovered from Hierakonpolis exhibit evidence of resin and linen wrappings.
embalmers used salts to remove moisture from the body. The salt-like substance found on the banks of
salt lakes, natron, dried out and preserved more flesh than bone. Once dried, mummies were
ritualistically anointed with oils and perfumes. The emptied body was then covered in natron, to speed up
the process of dehydration and prevent decomposition. Natron dries the body up faster than desert sand,
preserving the body more effectively. Often finger and toe protectors were placed over the mummy's
fingers and toes to prevent breakage. They were wrapped with strips of white linen to protect the body
from being damaged. After that, they were wrapped in a sheet of canvas to further protect them. Many
sacred charms and amulets were placed in and around the mummy and the wrappings. This was
intended to protect the mummy from harm and to give good luck to the Ka of the mummy. Once
preserved, they were laid to rest in a sarcophagus inside a tomb, where it was believed that the mummy
would rest eternally. The mummy's mouth would later be opened in an ritual designed to symbolize
breathing, giving rise to legends about resurrected mummies.In some cases, a mummy has been
discovered in an unmolested tomb, only to be found in a state of advanced decomposition due to the
proximity of the water table. This was the case with the discovery in 1998 of the mummy of Iufaa, an
Egyptian priest and administer who lived around 500 BC.
The most famous Egyptian mummies are those of Seti I and Rameses II (13th century BC).