Egyptians practiced mummification
in order to preserve the bodies in the
Netherworld/Afterlife.
First, the embalmer laid the body
on a table and made a cut in the left side of the body, just
below the ribs. Then the embalmer stuck his hand inside the
cut and pulled out all the internal organs. He removed
everything except the heart. The embalmer didn't get rid of
any of the organs. He carefully put the organs in canopic
jars (see below). He then removed the brain, this was a
tricky job. He would have to stick a hooked spoon up the
person's nose and pull out the brain bit by bit through the
nostrils.
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The embalmer then put salt all
over the person's body. The salt absorbed all the water and
moisture in the tissues and the skin. Forty days later the
body was nice and dry. After the body was all dried out they
had to put stuffing in it. The embalmer padded the body with
linen and sawdust to give it a more lifelike shape. Then he
would add some make-up and false eyes. The embalmer would
have to wrap the mummy and this is not a job that could be
rushed. It took the Egyptians 30 days to wrap a mummy
properly. After the mummy was completely wrapped up the
embalmer would smear black resin all over the mummy. This
would help to seal all the bandages together. The Arab word
for this resin was momia....And that's where we get the word
mummy. The embalmer would then put a death mask over the
mummy's head and shoulders. The mask for a pharaoh would be
made of solid gold. Then it was ready to be placed in a
decorated coffin.
In ancient Egypt coffins were made
of stone, wood, or sometimes even gold. In certain occasions
several coffins were placed inside each other. Egyptians
sealed their coffins in tombs along with canopic jars, food,
and things that would be needed in the afterlife. Servants
were sometimes buried alive in the tomb of their dead
masters. People were not the only things mummified,
sometimes people mummified their favorite pets. Mummifying
pets was particularly popular for cats, because cats were
considered to be sacred.
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