MUMMIFICATION
BY KAY-LI AND LISA
WHAT’S A MUMMY??

Mummies are the preserved bodies of people or animals. The
word was first used to describe the bandaged bodies of Ancient
Egyptians. But any dead body that still has skin on it is a
mummy. If people die or are buried in the right conditions, they
may be mummified(preserved). Most cultures believe in some
kind of afterlife (life after death). By preserving a dead persons
body in a recognizable form, they hope to prepare him or her
for a better future life.
WHO COULD DO THE MUMMIFICATION PROCCES????

Mummification was reserved for the richest and most powerful
in Egyptian society. The process was long and expensive. There
were three main people who took part in this process; the
scribe, the cutter, and the embalmer.
1) First, the body is taken to the tent known as 'ibu' or the 'place of
purification'. There, the embalmers wash the body with good-smelling
palm wine and rinse it with water from the Nile.
2) One of the embalmer's men makes a cut in the left side of the body
and removes many of the internal organs. It is important to remove
these because they are the first part of the body to decompose.
3) The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines are washed and packed
in natron which will dry them out. The heart is not taken out of the
body because it is the centre of intelligence and feeling and the
Egyptians thought the man will need it in the afterlife
4) A long hook is then out up the nose to smash the brain and pulled out
thorough the nose.
5) The body is now covered and stuffed with natron which will dry it out.
All of the fluids, and rags from the embalming process will be saved
and buried along with the body
6) After about 40 days, the body is washed again with water from the
Nile, then it’s covered with oils to help the skin stay elastic.
7) The internal organs that are dehydrated and wrapped in linen are put
back into the body. The body is then stuffed with dry materials such as
sawdust, leaves, and linen so that it looks lifelike.
8) Now the body is covered with good-smelling oils and is ready to be
wrapped in linen.
WRAPPING
1)
first the head and neck are wrapped in linen, then the fingers and toes
are individually wrapped.
2)
The arms and legs are wrapped separately. Between the layers of
wrapping, the embalmers place amulets to protect the body in its journey
through the underworld. The 'Isis knot' amulet is to protect the body.
The 'Plummet' amulet is to keep the person balanced in their next life.
3)
A priest usually reads spells out loud while the mummy is being
wrapped. These spells will help ward off evil spirits and help the
person make it to the afterlife.
The arms and legs are tied together. A papyrus scroll with spells from the
Book of the Dead is placed in between the wrapped hands.
4)
The body is wrapped again, then a cloth covers it, then it is wrapped
again and is put in a coffin.
WHO CAN BE MUMMIFIED


Back the the person that can be mummified is the kings in
Egypt.
But now in these day’s basically any Egyptian who could afford
to pay for the expensive process of preserving their bodies for
the afterlife can be mummified.
The mummification process started in Egypt at around 3,300 BCE
The mummification process started because the Ancient Egyptians used to
bury their dead in the sand but later they thought that if the mummified the
body in linen the body will be preserved better.
COMPARISON OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS PROCESS &
PURPOSE OF MUMMIFICATION TO THOSE WHO DO IT
TODAY.

The ancient Egyptians used to mummify bodies
so that the people could make it to the afterlife
safely, but now people still mummify but they
do it a little differently. Today, they mummify to
preserve the body.
Curse of the Mummy

When Howard Carter discovered the tomb of
Tutankhamen, nothing would have stopped him from
going inside, despite the fact that it was believed that
anyone who entered the burial chambers of the pharaohs
would be curse. The curse meant death and a lot of
people were scared. The excitement was caused buy the
sudden death of lord Carnarvon, one of the first who
entered the tomb. Many people claimed that the dead
Pharaoh was angry and had “cursed” all those who had
disturbed his rest. The curse has since been blamed for
the death of many people connected with the discovery.
QUIZ
1) NAME THE 3 MAIN PEOPLE WHO TOOK PART IN THE
MUMMIFICATION PROCESS.
2) WHAT WAS THE FIRST AND SECOND PART OF THE
MUMMIFICATION PROCESS CALLED?
3) WHEN DID MUMMIFICATION IN EGYPT FIRST START?
4) WHAT DID THE SCRIBE DO IN THE MUMMIFICATION
PROCESS?
5) IN ANCIENT EGYPT WHY DID THE MUMMIFICATION
PROCESS START?
HTTP://WWW.TOUREGYPT.NET/FEATURESTORIES/MUMMIFICA
TION.HTM
2)HTTP://HISTORYLINK101.NET/EGYPT_1/RELIGION_MUMMIFICA
TION_PROCESS.HTM
3) HTTP://WWW.WOODLANDSJUNIOR.KENT.SCH.UK/HOMEWORK/EGYPT/MUMMIES.HTM
4) HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/MUMMY
5) HTTP://WWW.UNMUSEUM.ORG/MAKEMUM.HTM
6) HTTP://WWW.TRAVEL-NOTES.ORG/MUMMY.HTML
7)
HTTP://WWW.SUMMUM.ORG/MUMMIFICATION/PROCESS.SHTML
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