Egyptian Mummies

Mummy Facts
Special priests treated and wrapped the body, and also performed special prayers and rituals The mummification process took 70 days When organs were removed, they were placed in canopic jars and buried with the mummy Each mummy was wrapped with hundreds of yards of linen

How did mummification start?

As far as we know, Egyptians were the first to make mummies It has been estimated that around 700 million bodies were mummified in one way or another No one is exactly sure why Egyptians began mummification, but one suggestion is that they got the idea from buried bodies that had dried out in the sand and sun

Second Dynasty

The first development of mummification took place during the Second Dynasty (around 3000 B.C.) The bodies were placed on their left side with their knees tucked in They were placed in wooden coffins shaped like houses, because they believed in life after death, so it provided them a house in the after-life The mummies decayed relatively fast though, because the linen kept the body moist, so the bacteria broke it down

Third through Fourth Dynasties

During these dynasties (2700-2400 B.C.) the mummies were placed on their backs and had their soft parts, or viscera, removed through a slit in the body This didnt help preserve the body much, but it made it look more life like after it decayed The linen was dipped in a material similar to pine gum and the facial

Seventh through Twelfth Dynasties

From 2400 to 2000 B.C., viscera was no longer removed, but a variety of substances were placed inside the body Mummification became more expensive, so only richer people could afford the best form of mummification Materials like natron (a mineral salt) and oil of cedar were used for preservation

Mummification of Animals
A variety of animals, like birds, reptiles, mammals, even insects, were preserved They were mummified because they were connected to certain Egyptian gods, like the

Seventeenth to Twenty-First Dynasties

Starting in 1500 B.C., mummy making got better and more advanced All the internal organs were now removed, and packing materials like lichen and sawdust were used to fill cavities in the body

Twenty-First Dynasty
The Twenty-First Dynasty (1059 B.C.) had the very best mummies The priests that made the mummies packed mud under the skin of the face and hands so they kept their shape Mummification made a slow decline until it ended all together in 1700 A.D. due to conversion to the Islam religion

The Sarcophagus
The first sarcophagi resembled miniature homes They then included hieroglyphics with the deceaseds name and titles, a list of food offerings, a false door through which the ka could pass, and eyes through which the deceased could see outside the coffin

The Sarcophagus

After this, it was decorated with many items that had formerly been on the walls of the tomb, with Isis and Nephthys at the head and foot. Nut, Isis, and Osiris were on the inside floor, other deities were on the sides, and the name and title, prayer for offerings, and prayers to the divinities on the deceaseds behalf were written on the sarcophagus

The Sarcophagus

The sarcophagi then became substitute bodies; they were carved to the mummys outline and decorated with the face and wig of the mummy Rishi coffins the became popular, which were covered in feathers to represent the wings of the goddesses Isis and Nephthys