Most people associate ancient Egypt with the pharaohs, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and mummies. But what is the connection between these three things and what is a mummy?
A mummy, like the one shown in Figure 1 below, is a corpse whose skin and flesh have been preserved by chemicals or by exposure to the elements of weather. The ancient Egyptians believed that preserving the body was important because without the body, the previous owner’s “ka,” or life force, would always be hungry. It was important for a person’s ka to survive so that he or she could enjoy the afterlife, or life after death. The ancient Egyptians started mummifying remains about 3500 B.C., although older purposefully mummified remains have been found elsewhere, such as in Pakistan about 5000 B.C. and in Chile around 5050 B.C.
There were several steps to the Egyptian ritual of mummification. First, the body was thoroughly washed in the waters of the Nile River. Then the brain was removed through the nostrils and discarded. An opening was made in the left side of the abdomen and the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines were removed and placed into four canopic jars. Each jar was believed to be guarded by a different god. The heart was left in the body because the ancient Egyptians believed that the heart was the location of emotion and thought.
Finally, the body was stuffed and covered with natron. Natron is a naturally found salt mixture of several different desiccants. A desiccant is a substance that dries out things next to it. It does this by absorbing water or moisture from its surrounding environment. As you probably guessed, the purpose of stuffing and covering the body with natron was to remove all bodily fluids from the body and desiccate it.
Once the body was completely desiccated, it was rubbed with perfumed oils and then wrapped very carefully with linen bandages. Once completely wrapped, the remains were placed inside of…
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