How Did Ancient Egypt Use Mummification
Ancient Egypt was a great civilization the shows many intelligent technological advancements including mummification. Mummification was used for approximately 3000 years. The Egyptians used mummification for few reasons; it was a complicated process with a long history. The Egyptians had used mummification for reasons due to their belief in an after-life. They believe that the body was linked to the spiritual existence in the after-life. The bodies were mummified so that the spirit could get the needed food and drink in the after-life. All though there were spells placed so that in case the body was damaged the spirit could still have these needs met. The process of mummification begins when the body is taken to the place of purification.
The body is then washed with palm oils and rinsed with water from the Nile River. A small cut is made on the left side of the body, from which the internal organs are removed. The heart is left inside the chest cavity. The liver lungs stomach and intestines are packed with natron to dry them. A long hook is insterted through the nose and smashes the brain and then proceeds to remove the brain through the nose. The body is stuffed and covers with natron to dry it out and is left for 40 days. After the 40 days passed the body is washed with water from the Nile then covered with oils to keep the skins elasticity. The body is then stuffed with a dry material such as saw dust to make it look life-like. The organs are put in canopic jars decorated with a god. The liver was put in a jar with Imsety the human-headed god who was said to protect the liver. Hapy the baboon-headed god was said to protect the lungs, duamutef the jackel-headed god the stomach and the falcon-headed god, qebehsenuef, the intestines. After the embalming process comes the process of wrapping the body. First the head and neck are wrapped followed by the fingers and toes which are individually wrapped with strips of fine linen. The arms and legs are also wrapped separately. In-between the layers of wrapping amulets are placed to protect the body. While the body is wrapped a priest is present reading spells aloud. The arms and legs were then bound together. A scroll with spells from the book of the dead is placed between the hands of the deceased. More linen is then wrapped around the body; the bandages are painted with liquid resin used to glue each layer together. A cloth with a picture of Osiris painted on it is wrapped around the body. Finally a large cloth is wrapped around the entire body. Mummification has quite a long history in Egyptian society. It began when the bodies of the deceased were buried in the sand at the edge of the desert. The bodies often became naturally mummified by the dry sand and heat. Artificial mummification was needed when tombs were built to separated the bodies from the sand. Mummification can be traced to the forth Egyptian dynasty until the Christian era. This means mummification lasted for about 3000 years. Mummification was a process fueled by the religious belief of an after-life in which a preserved body is necessary. Mummification has provided today’s archeologist and today’s society with insight in to the life of the ancient Egyptians.
The body is then washed with palm oils and rinsed with water from the Nile River. A small cut is made on the left side of the body, from which the internal organs are removed. The heart is left inside the chest cavity. The liver lungs stomach and intestines are packed with natron to dry them. A long hook is insterted through the nose and smashes the brain and then proceeds to remove the brain through the nose. The body is stuffed and covers with natron to dry it out and is left for 40 days. After the 40 days passed the body is washed with water from the Nile then covered with oils to keep the skins elasticity. The body is then stuffed with a dry material such as saw dust to make it look life-like. The organs are put in canopic jars decorated with a god. The liver was put in a jar with Imsety the human-headed god who was said to protect the liver. Hapy the baboon-headed god was said to protect the lungs, duamutef the jackel-headed god the stomach and the falcon-headed god, qebehsenuef, the intestines. After the embalming process comes the process of wrapping the body. First the head and neck are wrapped followed by the fingers and toes which are individually wrapped with strips of fine linen. The arms and legs are also wrapped separately. In-between the layers of wrapping amulets are placed to protect the body. While the body is wrapped a priest is present reading spells aloud. The arms and legs were then bound together. A scroll with spells from the book of the dead is placed between the hands of the deceased. More linen is then wrapped around the body; the bandages are painted with liquid resin used to glue each layer together. A cloth with a picture of Osiris painted on it is wrapped around the body. Finally a large cloth is wrapped around the entire body. Mummification has quite a long history in Egyptian society. It began when the bodies of the deceased were buried in the sand at the edge of the desert. The bodies often became naturally mummified by the dry sand and heat. Artificial mummification was needed when tombs were built to separated the bodies from the sand. Mummification can be traced to the forth Egyptian dynasty until the Christian era. This means mummification lasted for about 3000 years. Mummification was a process fueled by the religious belief of an after-life in which a preserved body is necessary. Mummification has provided today’s archeologist and today’s society with insight in to the life of the ancient Egyptians.