The Mummification Process

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The Mummification Process
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The first mummies were just dried out in the
desert. The ancient Egyptians buried their dead
in small pits in the desert. The heat and dryness
of the sand dehydrated the bodies quickly,
creating lifelike and natural 'mummies'.
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Later, the ancient Egyptians began burying their
dead in coffins to protect them from wild animals
in the desert.
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Steps1. Announcement of Death 2. Embalming
the Body 3. Removal of Brain 4. Removal of
Internal Organs 5. Drying Out Process 6.
Wrapping of the Body 7. Final Procession
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Step 1Announcement of Death This first step was
to let the people know that someone had died. A
messenger was sent out to the streets to announce
the death. This allowed people to get themselves
ready for mourning period and ceremony.
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Materials Used in Mummification
1. Linen 6.
Natron2. Sawdust
7. Onion3. Lichen
8. Nile Mud4. Beeswax
9. Linen Pads5. Resin
10. Frankincense
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Step 2Embalming the Body The second step was
taking the body to be embalmed. The embalmers
were located in special tents or buildings.
These buildings were called embalming workshops,
and were maintained by teams of priests.
Oftentimes during the embalming, the priests
would have to step outside to get away from the
horrible smell.
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Step 3Removal of Brain The first part of the
body to be removed was the brain. Egyptians did
not know the purpose of the brain, so they
thought it was a waste of space. To extract the
brain, a hook was inserted through the nose. The
embalmers pulled out as much as they could, then
put it in water to dissolve. Some people think
the water was then thrown out, but others think
it was taken with the mummy to the burial
chamber.
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Step 4Removal of Internal Organs Next to be
removed were the internal organs the liver, the
lungs, the stomach, and the intestines. A small
slit was made on the left side of the abdomen,
then the embalmers reached in and pulled out the
organs. Each of the organs was individually
mummified, then stored in little coffins called
canopic jars. There were four canopic jars, one
for each of the organs. These jars were protected
by the four sons of Horus.
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Imset protected the liver.He had the head of a
human.
Duamutef looked after the stomach.He had the
head of a jackal.
Ha'py watched over the lungs. He had the head of
a baboon.
Qebehsenuef looked over the intestines. He had
the head of a falcon.
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Once the internal organs were removed, the inside
of the body was washed out with palm oil,
lotions, and preserving fluids. Next the body
was stuffed with linen, straw, or other packing
material to keep the general shape of the person.
Sometimes the embalmers were careless and
either stuffed too much or too little. This
caused the mummy to look puffy or disfigured.
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Step 5 Drying Out Process The body was placed
on a slab and covered with either nacron or
natron salt. The slab was tilted so that the
water would run off into a basin. This removed
moisture and prevented rotting. The body was
taken outside and let dry for about forty days.
After the body was completely dried out, the
wrapping of the body began.
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• These are the mummified remains of a pharaoh
  named Ramses II.

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Step 6 Wrapping of the Body
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Wrapping the body was a painstaking process. It
was anointed with oils, and a gold piece with the
Eye of Horus was placed over the slit in the
abdomen.
The Eye of Horus
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Hundreds of yards of linen were used to wrap the
body. Each toe and finger was wrapped separately.
Charms, amulets, and inscribed pieces of
papyrus were placed between each layer of
bandage. Egyptians believed that these charms had
magical properties that would protect the body.
The Eye of Horus, the symbol of protection, was
used often. The wrapping process would be stopped
once in a while so that the priests could say
prayers and write on the linen. A final shroud
was placed on the mummy to keep all the wrappings
together. Mummia was added to the shroud to
"glue" it all together. (That's where the word
"mummy" comes from.) Sometimes false eyes were
inserted and make-up applied. Then a painted
portrait mask was placed over the mummy's head so
that dead person's soul (Ka) could recognize its
owner. The mummy was then placed into a painted,
decorated coffin.
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Journey to the Underworld
The dead travel on the Solar Barque.
A boat for the journey is provided for a dead
pharaoh in his tomb.
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Step 7Final Procession
The last step of mummification was the final
procession, where the family and friends of the
deceased walked through the town on their way to
the burial place. Mourners were paid to cry so
that the gods of the other world would see that
the person was well loved. The more people who
cried, the more he was loved, and the better
chance he had of going to the after world.
Before the mummy was taken inside the tomb, a
ceremony called "Opening of the Mouth" took place.
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Priests protected your KA, or soul-spirit
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The Opening of the Mouth was performed by priests
outside the burial chamber.
Opening of the Mouth
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The family of the mummy recited spells while
priests used special instruments to touch
different parts of the mummy's face. The
Egyptians believed that the mummy could not eat,
see, hear, or move in the afterlife if the
ceremony did not take place. After the Opening of
the Mouth ceremony, the dead would be able to
eat, breathe, see, hear, etc. in the
afterlife. The mummy was then laid in the burial
chamber along with his belongings, the canopic
jars, and the Book of the Dead. The Book of the
Dead was not actually a book, but a collection of
over 200 magic spells written on papyrus. This
book contained instructions on how to achieve
eternal life. Then the tomb was sealed.
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Egyptian Book of the Dead
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Weighing of the Heart The most important task
came after death. This was called "The Weighing
of the Heart." Egyptians believed that the most
powerful part of a person was his heart. The
heart was never removed from the body - it was
considered the center of the being. In this
ceremony, the gods of the underworld judged the
mummy's heart, or how well he behaved during his
natural life. Maat, the goddess of truth, brought
out her scale on one side was the mummy's heart,
and on the other was the Feather of Truth.
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Anubis, the god of the underworld, made the
final judgment, and Thoth, the scribe god,
recorded it. If the heart balanced the feather,
the soul of the mummy was granted immortality. If
the heart was heavier than the feather (if the
sins outweighed the virtues), the soul was doomed
to a horrible fate. The heart was thrown to a
monster called Ammit, or Devourer of the Dead.
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The Final Judgement
Anubis Horus
Osiris
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The heart of the dead is weighed against the
feather. If the heart is not weighed down with
sin and lighter than the feather, the dead person
can go on.
Judgment Day
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Egyptian Mummies
Ramses II1279-1212 B. C. E.
Seti I1291-1278 B. C. E.
Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep II1210-1200 B. C.
E.
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Shabtis The Pharaohs Servants in the
Afterlife
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A Tomb is Found in 1923
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Burial Chamber

• Walls made of gilded wood and inlaid blue
  porcelain and painted with funerary scenes.

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The Coffin of a Pharaoh

• Wooden coffin, human shaped, 7 feet 4 inches
  long.
• Third coffin made entirely of gold
• A royal Egyptian mummy had been found untouched.

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THE CURSE

• They who enter this sacred tomb shall swift be
  visited by the wings of death.
• Lord Carnarvon
• died 7 weeks
• after entering the
• burial chamber
• giving rise to the
• theory of the
• "Curse" of King Tut.

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1. The process of mummification was not very
elaborate in the beginning. How did the ancient
Egyptians mummify bodies at first?2.
Describe the seven steps in the processes of
mummification.1) 2) 3)
4) 5)
6) 7) 3. What does
the ceremony called the Opening of the Mouth do
for the dead body? 4. Describe the role of the
heart and the feather in the ceremony called the
Weighing of the Heart.5. Do you believe in the
curse of King Tut?