The ancient Egyptians developed a complex set of beliefs about the afterlife, and along with it, developed elaborate rituals for preserving and burying the bodies of the pharaohs. This preservation process is called mummification, while these preserved bodies are called mummification. Here's how to make a mummy like the Egyptians.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Body Embalming
Step 1. Wash the corpse
The embalmers washed Pharaoh's body with palm wine and rinsed with the water of the Nile. This is done in a tent set aside as a "purification site."
Step 2. Remove the internal organs
All internal organs except the heart were removed through an incision on the left side of the abdomen, while the brain was removed by inserting a long hook through the nostril. However, the heart is still left in its place because it is considered a source of intelligence and emotion.
Step 3. Wash and preserve the removed organ
After the ritual washing, the extracted internal organs were packed in canopic jars filled with natron, and preservative salt as well as drying. Each jar is marked with an image of a god to preserve certain organs: Imsety, liver: Hapy, lungs; Duamutef, stomach; and Qebehsenuef, gut.
In later years, the internal organs were put back into the body after preserving them and the canopic jar became only symbolic
Step 4. Dry the body
The body is covered with natron and left for 40 days to remove all moisture.
Step 5. The body is washed again
After washing a second time with Nile water, the body is anointed with perfumed oil, then filled with a mixture of spices, salt and spices, as well as sawdust and cloth to make it appear more alive.
Method 2 of 3: Body Wrapping
Step 1. Wrap the head and neck with long strips of fine linen
Step 2. Wrap each finger and toe separately
Step 3. Wrap each arm and leg
While the locomotion is wrapped, amulets such as the "Knot of Isis" (Ankh) and plummet (shaped like the letter "A") are placed on the body to protect it from its journey to the afterlife. Meanwhile, a priest casts a spell to ward off evil spirits and guide the deceased.
Step 4. Tie the arms and legs together
A papyrus scroll copy of the "Book of the Dead" is placed between the hands of the dead pharaoh.
Step 5. Wrap a long strip of linen fabric around the entire body
These fabrics are painted with resin to glue them together.
Step 6. Wrap the body in the cloth
After that, draw a picture of Osiris on it.
Step 7. Wrap the body with the second cloth
This cloth is tied to the body with the piece of linen.
Method 3 of 3: Burying the Body
Step 1. Put the gold mask on the mummy's face
This mask represents how Pharaoh looked in his life. The most famous mask is probably that of King Tutankhamen.{{largeimage|Place a golden mask 3 1.jpg}
Step 2. Place the stained wooden plank on top of the mummy
Step 3. Place the body and board into the coffin
Step 4. Place the coffin inside the second coffin
In some cases, the second coffin is in turn inserted into the third coffin.
Step 5. Perform funeral rites
In addition to giving the pharaoh's family a chance to grieve, a key part of this funeral was the "opening of the mouth" ritual, which was believed to allow the deceased to eat and drink in the afterlife.
Step 6. Place the coffin in the stone sarcophagus, along with the deceased's needs for the afterlife
The Egyptians believed they could take anything with them (after death), and the pharaohs were buried with food, drink, clothing, furniture, and whatever valuables they deemed important and necessary.
Once in the afterlife, the deceased is judged based on his life on Earth, and if worthy, will live eternal life in the "reed fields"
Tips
- At first the Egyptians buried their bodies in small desert pits and allowed them to shrink from fluids. Later, they began using the coffin to prevent wild animals from eating the corpse, which evolved to produce a preservation process by mimicking the effects of the hot desert sand.
- The Egyptians were not the only civilization that mummified the dead. Mummies have also been found in Mexico, China and other parts of the world.
