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    Egyptian Mummies

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    Harold Lojz
    The ancient Egyptians developed the practice of mummification to preserve bodies for the afterlife. The lengthy mummification process involved removing organs, drying the body with natron, and wrapping it in linen. Egyptians believed the heart remained in the body and was essential for the afterlife journey.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Egyptian Mummies

    Uploaded by

    Harold Lojz
    104 views2 pages
    The ancient Egyptians developed the practice of mummification to preserve bodies for the afterlife. The lengthy mummification process involved removing organs, drying the body with natron, and wrapping it in linen. Egyptians believed the heart remained in the body and was essential for the afterlife journey.

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    The ancient Egyptians developed the practice of mummification to preserve bodies for the afterlife. The lengthy mummification process involved removing organs, drying the body with natron, and wrapping it in linen. Egyptians believed the heart remained in the body and was essential for the afterlife journey.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    104 views2 pages

    Egyptian Mummies

    Uploaded by

    Harold Lojz
    The ancient Egyptians developed the practice of mummification to preserve bodies for the afterlife. The lengthy mummification process involved removing organs, drying the body with natron, and wrapping it in linen. Egyptians believed the heart remained in the body and was essential for the afterlife journey.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    Egyptian Mummies

    It was very important to ancient Egyptian


    religious beliefs that the human body was
    preserved. A method of artificial preservation,
    called mummification was developed by the
    ancient Egyptians. Mummification was a
    complicated and lengthy process which lasted up
    to 70 days.

    What are mummies?


    A mummy is the body of a person (or an animal)
    that has been preserved after death.

    Who were the mummies?


    They were any Egyptian who could afford to pay for the expensive process of preserving
    their bodies for the afterlife.

    Why did the Egyptians make mummies?


    The Egyptians believed in life after death. They believed that they had to preserve their
    bodies so they could use them in the afterlife.

    What is the afterlife?


    The Egyptians believed that when they died, they would make a journey to another
    world where they would lead a new life. They would need all the things they had used
    when they were alive, so their families would put those things in their graves. Egyptians
    paid vast amounts of money to have their bodies properly preserved. Egyptians who
    were poor were buried in the sand whilst the rich ones were buried in a tomb.

    What was the name of the process the Egypt ians used to
    preserve their bodies?
    It was called mummification.

    How were mummies made?


    It took a very long time, from start to finish; it took about 70 days to embalm a body.
    The priest in charge would wear the mask of a jackal representing the god Anubis.

    1. The body was washed and purified.


    2. Organs were removed and placed in canopic jars, only the heart remained.
    3. The body was filled with stuffing.
    4. The body was dried by covering it with a substance called natron; a substance
    absorbed all the moisture from the body.
    5. After 40 - 50 days the stuffing was removed and replaced with linen or sawdust.
    6. The body was wrapped in strands of linen and covered in a sheet called a
    shroud.
    7. The body was placed in a stone coffin called a sarcophagus.

    The mummy was now ready for its journey to the afterlife.
    *W h a t i s n a t r o n ?
    Natron is a natural salt, composed of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate with
    traces of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. It was used by the ancient egyptians to
    dry out the bodies.

    Why did they leave the heart in the body?


    The Egyptians thought the heart was the centre of intelligence and emotion.

    Who was the god of mummification?


    Anubis was the god of mummification. He had a human body and
    the head of a jackal. His job was to prepare the bodies of the dead
    to be received by Osiris.

    What objects did they put in Egyptian


    Tombs?
    Ancient Egyptians were buried with their belongings and the
    tomb walls were painted with scenes from the dead person’s life.
    The objects included furniture, games and even food was placed in
    the tombs for the long After Life journey!

    What are canopic jars?


    Canopic Jars were used by ancient Egyptians to hold mummified remains.

    Each canopic jar guarded a different organ.


    Imsety had a human head, protected the liver.
    Qebehsenuf had the head of a falcon and guarded the
    intestines.
    Ha’py had a baboon head protected the lungs.
    Duamatef had the head of a jackal, and guarded the stomach.

    Where were Egyptians who were poor buried?


    The poor Egyptians were buried in the sand. Only the rich ones were buried in a tomb.

    Where were the pharaohs buried?


    In the Old and Middle Kingdoms (2628-1638 BC), Egyptian kings were buried in
    pyramids. About 50 royal pyramids have survived. They were built on the desert edge,
    west of the ancient capital of Memphis.

    What are pyramids?


    The pyramids are the stone tombs of Egypt's kings - the Pharaohs.

    Why did the Ancient Egyptians build pyramids?


    The Egyptians believed that if the pharaoh's body could be mummified after death the
    pharaoh would live forever. The tombs were designed to protect the buried Pharaoh's
    body and his belongings.

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