Mummification

The earliest 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’.

Later, the ancient Egyptians began burying their dead in coffins to protect them

from wild animals in the desert. However, they realised that bodies placed in coffins

decayed when they were not exposed to the hot, dry sand of the desert.

Over many centuries, the ancient Egyptians developed a method of preserving

bodies so they would remain lifelike. The process included embalming the bodies and

wrapping them in strips of linen. Today we call this process mummification

An important man has died and his body needs to be prepared for burial.

The process of mummification has two stages. First, the embalming of the body. Then, the wrapping and burial of the body.

One of the embalmer’s men makes a cut in the left side of the body and removes

many of the internal organs. It is important to remove these because they are the first part of the body to decompose.

The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines are washed and packed in natron

which will dry them out. The heart is not taken out of the body because

it is the centre of intelligence and feeling and the man will need it in the afterlife.

A long hook is used to smash the brain and pull it out through the nose.

Why did the ancient Egyptians mummify their dead?

The ancient Egyptians believed that when someone died, their soul left their body. The soul would then return and be reunited with the body after it was buried. However, the soul needed to be able to find and recognise the body in order to live forever.

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