![]() ![]() This symbolized the presence of Anubis – god of embalming and the afterlife – during the mummification. The most experienced priest carried out the major parts of mummification process, like the wrapping of the body, and wore a jackal mask as he did so. They were also often priests, as performing religious rites over the deceased was an equally important part of the embalming process. These men were skilled artisans who had a deep knowledge of anatomy and a steady hand. Here it was laid out on a table ready to be dissected by the embalmers. It was then taken to the per nefer, or ‘house of mummification’, which was an open tent to allow for ventilation. ![]() Upon death, the body would be carried to the Ibu, or the ‘Place of Purification’, where it would be washed in river water. Working class people were treated with an alternative method of preservation that involved liquidizing the internal organs with cedar tree oil, draining them out through the rectum and then placing the body in a salty substance called natron to dehydrate it.Įmbalming took place in the Red Land, a desert region away from the heavily populated areas and with easy access to the Nile. This was an expensive process that took about 70 days to complete, so only the very rich could afford it. With this method, the internal organs were removed, the flesh dehydrated, and then the body was wrapped in linen strips. ![]() The most complicated mummification process was developed in about 1550 BCE, and is considered the best method of preservation. The first mummies in Egypt date back to approximately 3500 BCE.īefore that time, all citizens regardless of social status were buried in desert graves, which allowed natural preservation to occur through dehydration.Īn artificial method known as mummification process was then developed that would ensure even better preservation and allow bodies to be kept within tombs. To prevent the body decaying, it underwent a lengthy and gruesome mummification process.ĭeveloped and refined over millennia, it allowed Ancient Egypt to produce some of the best-preserved mummies in the world, and we can now gaze upon the faces of men, women and children almost exactly as they were more than 2,000 years ago. The deceased’s body also had to preserved, as the Ancient Egyptians believed the soul (ba) and life force (ka) had to return to it regularly to survive. Why did Ancient Egyptians mummify their dead?Įternal life wasn’t just about preserving the spirit. Papageorgopoulou and her team hope their study will be “of foremost interests” to other disciplines at the intersection of science, history, and the human body.The mummification process was able to produce mummies that would last for eternity. “It’s more or less state-of-the-art documentation on how the ancient Egyptians mummified their bodies,” she told Lewis. Though researcher Christina Papageorgopoulou tells Lewis that mummification in a Swiss lab likely took much longer than it would in the dry deserts of ancient Egypt, she’s happy with the results. Their attempt to mummify a leg with dry heat was a wash - the scientists write they had to stop that test within a week “due to unexpected lack of mummification progress.” But things worked out better with the natron-preserved leg: 208 days later, they had a mummy. They placed a layer of natron beneath the leg on a pine board, covered it with more natron and a hood to mitigate fumes, then watched, waited, and measured the results. Rather than undergo a complicated organ removal, the scientists opted for a leg instead. For the other leg, they used a substance called natron, a soda ash and sodium bicarbonate mix that occurs in nature and was used for mummies by ancient Egyptians.Īncient Greek texts say that the ancient Egyptians used natron to dry and preserve bodies after removing organs from the dead, writes Lewis. They used a “dry heat” method to “naturally” mummify one leg. So, reports Lewis, they decided to try to create a mummy themselves.Īfter obtaining two fresh human legs from a cadaver donated to research, they conducted a comparative study. Recognizing the potential importance of a better understanding of mummification to disciplines like forensic medicine and bioarchaeology, the study’s authors wondered why few people have attempted to recreate the methods used by ancient Egyptians to mummify their dead. Now, reports LiveScience’s Tanya Lewis, a team of scientists has tried their hand at the old-fashioned embalming tactic by using Egyptian methods to mummify a fresh human leg. Mummification isn’t exactly modern, but ancient Egyptian techniques for preserving corpses continue to fascinate archaeologists and scientists alike. ![]()
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