Across the globe, people die. Death has been an inevitable phenomenon to man no matter his race, color or achievements. When people who mean a lot to the society pass away, there comes this drive to create something like a remembrance for their lives. And sometimes, if it were possible, desires are born to extend their lives. In Egypt, it was believed that when people died, they could still live again. For this reason, they were known to preserve the dead bodies of their loved ones. They were actually known in this case for drying and embalming dead bodies so that they can live much longer. This act is known as mummification. It normally took about 70 days to mummify a dead body. The term mummy was used because after the process of preservation, their skin turns to dark as if they had been soaked in bitumen. Bitumen means “mummia” in Arabic
The Mummification process.
Mummifying a dead body was normally done by a group of people with the chief embalmer known as the hery seshta (a priest). The first part of the process was the removal of moist body parts. Soft and moist body parts were cut out to prevent the decay of the body. Usually, the moist parts included the left side of the abdomen, the stomach, the intestines, the liver, the lungs and several other organs. Most times, they were not actually thrown away. They were preserved in a special salt called natron (a combination similar to a mixture of table salt and baking powder), which is found in dissolved ground water. After drying these organs, since they cannot be perfectly replaced into the body of the dead person, they are placed in special containers called canopy jars. The Egyptians actually believed that there would be a magical restoration and assembling of these body parts in their after life. The second step of the process entailed washing the bodies. After removing the organs, the bodies were washed with wine and spices were applied. Wine was preferred because it was believed that its alcohol content would kill any bacteria in the corpse. After this, the body is dried for 40 days with natron. A properly dried body would be like leather, be wrinkled and would shrink. After washing the body, they would often clean the body using a variety of sacred oils. The fourth step was adornment. This was the beautifying stage. In this stage, the Egyptians dressed the bodies with jewelries such as earrings, necklaces, rings and bangles. Most times, they were done the way the mummified individual normally dressed in his lifetime. The final stage in the process was the naming stage. To enable descendants in Egypt to know their ancestors, the embalmers would normally write the names of the mummified bodies on the bandages.
Check out the following links for more information on the mummification process:
Mummification Process-A step by step guide to the mummification process.
Egyptian Mummies-Information on Egyptian Mummies.
Mummies and the After Life-Explains the connection between mummies and the after life.
Mummification-More information on the mummification process.
Egyptian Mummies.
After death, the pharaohs, top government officials and noble men were usually mummified and kept in separate tombs. Some of them were:
-Ramesses I- A pharaoh who founded the 19th dynasty. He ruled Egypt for approximately 2 years.
-Nesyamun- He was a priest and known to have a strange tongue. His death was recorded to be around the year 1,100 BC.
-Padihershef-He was a stonecutter from Tchebes. His mummified body resided at Boston ’s Massachusetts General Hospital. The hospital gained a lot of money from the use of this body as an attractive feature to various tourists in America and UK. In Egypt and all over the world, the studies of these mummies have been gainful in knowing the past and the culture of the Egyptians. More so, the scientists, by performing autopsies on the bodies of those that died by ailments would know the kind of diseases that may be peculiar to the Egyptians.
Natural mummies.
Sometimes when people died in unknown places where there was nobody around, their bodies were affected by the environmental and atmospheric conditions. The result was normally a body that looked like a mummified Egyptian body. Some of these were
-Otzi the Iceman- This is the foremost natural mummy and can be found in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. He was found in September 1991 around Hauslabjoch, precisely at the Schnalstal glacier in the Otzal Alps. It is strongly affirmed that the coldness of the area must have contributed to the preservation of his body.
-The Yde Girl-She was discovered in a bog in the Netherlands ’ Bourtangermoor. A study by the Dutch archaeologist, W.A.B Van der Sanden reveals that she was strangled to death.
-The Tollund Man- Discovered in a peat bog around 1950 in Denmark when two people were cutting peat. It was reported that his body was still in a perfect condition owing to the conditions in the peat bog.
-The Lindow man- This was discovered in the South of Manchester, England in 1984. It was strongly assumed that he was sacrificed
-Mummy Juanita-She was discovered by Johan Reinhard and Miguel Zarate on September 8, 1995 on the top of Mount Apato near Arequipa. The freezing temperatures on the mountain must have mummified her body
-Kwaday Dan Ts’inchi (KDT)- Was discovered by three Canadian sheep hunters on August 14, 1999. The body was discovered on the Tatshenshini-Alsek provincial Wilderness Park in British Columbia. It was believed that the melting glaciers must have contributed to the preservation of the body.
Not only have scientists and archaeologists utilized the importance of studying mummies, but literature students and fiction writers also enjoy its unique significance. In both novels and movies, mummies are generally used to describe horror. Mummies are a popular fixation in these works because the significance of prolonging life translates that the creature in question is not dead/does not die and some climatic point is still to come.
Written by Michael S. Atwood