Just for the record, there are a lot of other types of mummies that have
been intentionally, or accidentally processed in sand, tar, mud, freeze-dried
in a cave, or sacrificed in a bog. Even the recently discovered mammoth in
Siberia is considered a mummy. Not to be mistaken for a fossil or skeleton,
which have no remaining flesh, organs or muscles preserved. A mummy is simply
a preserved old dead body. (animal or human)

Think about it, since the beginning of time man has not wanted to die or accept
death. At the end of every life comes death . . .a fascination with the dead
continues with the living! With a nicely preserved body, death was easier
to accept - it was just a step into the next eternal life.

If you want to know about Egyptian mummies the first thing you would do is go talk to a mummy. Of course, they can’t physically speak to you, but according to James Deem's book, How to Make A Mummy Talk, they do have a lot to say. His easy to read book led us on this exciting adventure.

Second, to find out about Egyptian mummies, you would have to go to Egypt. Since we couldn’t talk our parents into letting us do that, we hopped on the web and went surfing. Once we arrived in Egypt, we contacted Dr. Hawass. He’s the gentleman you see on all the programs about Egyptian archeology ... he is Under Secretary of the State for the Giza Monuments of Egypt and Director of The Pyramids. Kids, parents and teachers, be sure to check out his children's link below. It is an exciting way to learn more about the Egyptians.

Egyptian mummies have been widely studied and have continued to hold our
fascination since their discovery. Egyptians were the masters of mummification.
The job of embalming and mummification was an art that took seventy days. Their
belief of reunification of the spirit with the body in the next life was why an
estimated 70 million mummies were made in Egypt over the period of 3000.
So much has been written, we add only a few things to get you to study them more.

Not all mummies are created equal. Early Egyptian mummies were simply placed
in the sand for burial. Later, gold and heavy bandaging replaced the sand. Some
mummies unwrapped could drop their bandage from the top of the Empire State
building and touch the sidewalk below! It could take two weeks or more to wrap
one mummy. But even after all this fuss in later centuries Egyptian mummies were
used for such things as paper, party favors, fuel and medical cures.

A Mummy with a Passport When the mummy of Ramses II showed signs of a strange skin infection. . . His doctors got him a passport and plane ticket to Paris for tests and a cure!

Mummies don't have a weight problem? A weight problem? Most mummies don’t have a weight problem. They weigh in around 5 lbs. (Stripped) They could have a problem if their heart was heavy with sin when Animus weighed it against a feather. If too heavy. . .they were fed to a monster in the underworld!

The Rosetta Stones

Click the Rosetta Stone to find out about the Rosetta Stone and meet
Cleveland Museums own Rosetta Stone. She'll show you around, let you ask
a mummy questions, introduce you to shara, and even help you find some hidden
treasures. Don't be shy, we'll introduce you.

The Rosetta Stone was one of the most important Egyptian discoveries. Why?
This stone contains three different languages which enabled the translation
of hieroglyphics. Just think, all this from one stone!

Valley of the Kings

The valley of the kings was a final stop for many mummified pharaohs. Some of its
most famous residents include King Tut (Tutankhamun) and Ramses the Great.

Located in upper Egypt, the Valley of the Kings is divided into two parts - the east
valley and the west valley. The east valley is a common place to visit if you're a tourist.

One of the reasons the small valley was chosen for a sacred burial ground was that it
is very close to the banks of the river. Another was that it is surrounded by steep
cliffs and easily guarded. The local lime stone is of good quality and towering above
is the mountain El-Qurn, shaped like a pyramid, the cult symbol of the Sun God Ra.

If you're a new kingdom mummy there are tombs available (since grave robbers came)
from small, one-room pits to the deluxe suite with over 110 cool chambers and dark corridors. The ancient Egyptians called this The Place of Truth. It holds more than
60 tombs fit for a king. King Tut had already put the place on the map. When Dr. Kent Weeks looked into an old tomb in 1995, he found something nobody would have ever dreamed - an under ground complex built for the 50 or more sons of Ramses the II.
This tomb is called Kings Valley 5.

King Tut

One of the most famous mummies in the world is
King Tut. He was well preserved, and his tomb had not
been plundered by grave robbers. This guy knew how to
go out in style! It took Carter over two years to catalog
the treasures he found in King Tut's tomb. His gold casket alone is worth over 13 million dollars. Not too many kids
I know became king at the age of nine, but Tut did. He did not live past the age of
18 but he was married (possibly to his half-sister) and died leaving no heirs. Much
has been written about him. Be sure to check out the sites below to find our more
about his short life.

Valley of the Mummies

The tombs consist of a entrance, a delivery room, and two burial chambers. Study of the coins and artifacts found revealed that this find is dated from the Greek Period (a period when Egypt was ruled by the Greeks) and the Roman Period ( the period Egypt was ruled by the Romans). Four kinds of mummies were found:

   gilded mummies (covered with very thin layer of gold)

   mummies covered with cartonage and scenes depicted such as
   gods and goddesses

   mummies in anthropoid coffins (coffins made of pottery with human faces)

   mummies wrapped with linen.

When the Romans conquered a city or country they made all it’s citizens Roman
citizens. Thus, the mummies from the Roman Period show Roman elements such
as crowns, the use of a Roman king or gods. Egyptian gods such as Anubis, who
played several important roles in the mummification process, is also portrayed.