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Mummification A Mystery
The mummification process continues to be somewhat of a mystery.
There were no texts or books left behind to give an insight into
the process. Instead, we have relied on few depictions and
fragments of papyrus to help understand how the process was
completed. More information is gathered through the examination
of the mummies themselves and the great Greek historian
Herodotus.
It is important to note that the mummification process varied
depending on the financial status of the person being mummified
and the time period of the mummy. According to Herodotus, there
were three methods of mummification that were broken up into
classes; wealthy, middle, and poor. The wealthy citizens had the
most lavish mummification performed while the middle class had a
downgraded version of the wealthy. The poor citizens were done
minimally—enough to preserve the body.
The mummification process evolved throughout Ancient Egypt.
Early mummification was simple. The body was placed into a pit
and the heat from the desert quickly dehydrated moist flesh.
This in turn preserved the body. As the Egyptians fine tuned the
process they eventually started removing the internal organs
such as the brain, intestine, and stomach. These organs quickly
decomposed and were placed inside separate jars to avoid extreme
damage to the body due to decomposition.
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The Process
of Mummification
After the death of an Egyptian, the embalmers where called by
family members and the body was taken to the ibu (the tent of
purification). The ibu, which was located on the west bank of
the Nile, is where the body would begin its process of
mummification. The first thing done was to wash the body and
anoint it with sacred oils. Once cleansed, the body was then
taken to the wabet (palace of embalming). There, it is believed
according to Herodotus, a large incision was made on the left
side of the abdomen. This incision was used for removing vital
organs such as the intestines, liver, lungs and stomach. Often
times the kidneys were ignored because it was thought they had
little importance. Once removed, the organs were wrapped and
placed in canopic jars.
Along with the organs, mainly during the late Middle Kingdom or
early New Kingdom, the brain was removed. To do this a large
hole was punched through the ethmoid bone located just above the
nostrils. A hook shaped tool was inserted into this hole and
used to liquefy the brain then drained through the nose.
Anything left behind was removed with “drugs” according to
Herodotus.
After the body had been cleansed and the organs removed it was
then ready for the next step—the dehydration process. This
process remains a controversial subject due to Herodotus’s
choice of words describing it. He used the word “pickle” which
led many Egyptologists to believe the body was submerged in a
solution of natron salt. The other method, which was tested and
proved more logical, called for large amounts of natron salt to
be packed around the body dry. Though we’ll never know until a
document is unearthed, we can only speculate between the two
methods.
After the drying process the body is then washed and all traces
of natron are removed. The cadaver is then taken to per nefer
(the house of beauty) where it is stuffed and shaped back to its
normal size. Many perfumes and oils were rubbed on the body and
the open wounds sealed with wax. Over the hot wax, a metal plate
decorated with symbols of protection sealed the incision wounds.
After the anointing was completed and the wounds sealed, molten
resin was added to cover the body. Both men and women would be
colored with ochre. The men would be colored red and the women
yellow.
The wrapping process lasted fifteen to thirteen days. Family
members of the deceased would donate cloth to embalmers and in
many cases, special fine cloth with spells written upon them
were used. Most of the time, sheets of linen were used as the
main wrapping material. This process was done until the body was
protected from head to foot in linen. During the wrapping
process many amulets were added between layers to ensure a safe
passage and protection. |
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The body was then covered with a
death mask made of papyrus or linen and reinforced with plaster.
Royal mummies, such as Tutankhamun’s, were made of gold and held
precious and semiprecious stones that were inlaid. The mummy was
then placed into its coffins and eventually its tomb. |
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