Egyptian Mummification

Mummy-from “moumia”, from Persian “bitumen” the substance that the Egyptians wrongfully thought to have used in the preservation of their bodies.

Purpose of Egyptian Mummification The ancient Egyptians believed that after death their bodies would travel to another world during the day, and at night they would return to their bodies.

In order for the person’s spirit to live forever, it had to be able to recognize and return to the body. If a spirit could not recognize the body it belonged to, it would die. This is why the Egyptians wanted to preserve the bodies of the dead in as lifelike a state as possible. Mummification guaranteed eternal life for the spirit.

The Mummification Process The entire process took 70 days to complete. Several embalmers conducted the task in the special embalming shop or per nefer. The chief embalmer was known as the hery sheshta. He wore a jackal mask to represent Anubis, the god of mummification.

After the body had been shaved and washed with wine and spices, all of the parts that might decay were removed. The embalmers first removed the brain through the nose using a long hook.

The long hook was used to stir up the brain until it was liquefied The long hook was used to stir up the brain until it was liquefied. Then the embalmers would turn the body face down to allow the brain to ooze out the nostrils. The Egyptians were so rough on the brain because they didn’t realize its importance. They thought its sole purpose was to produce snot!

Next they would remove the soft, moist body parts that would cause decay. A deep incision was made in the left side of the abdomen to remove the internal organs: the lungs, the stomach, the liver and the intestines.

In some cases they removed the heart, but in others they left it, because it was considered to be the seat of the soul that testified on behalf of the deceased during judgment before the gods.

The body was stuffed with bundles of strong drying salt called natron.

It was then completely covered with natron and placed on a slanted couch so that any fluids that dripped out as the body was drying could be collected and buried along with it.

While the body was drying, the internal organs were also dried and preserved with natron. They were then wrapped in strips of linen and put into separate containers called canopic jars. The Egyptians believed that all body parts would be magically reunited in the afterlife and the body would become whole again, just like the god Osiris.

According to Egyptian mythology, the god Osiris was murdered by his jealous brother Set and hacked into pieces. The goddess Isis reassembled the pieces and Osiris was magically restored, and went on to become the god of the afterlife.

The stoppers of the canopic jars were shaped like the heads of the four sons of the god Horus. Each son protected the organ placed inside his respective jar. Duamutef, who had the head of a jackal, guarded the jar that contained the stomach. Qebehsenuf, who had the head of a falcon, watched over the intestines. Hapi, the baboon-headed son of Horus, protected the lungs, while human-headed Imseti was in charge of protecting the liver.

Imsety the human-headed god looks after the liver.

Hapy the baboon-headed god looks after the lungs

Duamutef the jackal-headed god looks after the stomach

Qebehsenuef the falcon-headed god looks after the intestines.

Canopic jars were usually stored in a chest that was later placed in the tomb with the mummy.

After 40 days, the body was completely dried After 40 days, the body was completely dried. The skin became shrunken, wrinkled, and leathery. The bundles of natron were removed from the body cavity. The mummy was cleaned one more time and rubbed with sacred oils to soften the skin.

The mummy’s head and body were packed with herbs, sawdust, and linen soaked in scented oil so that they could regain the shape they had in life. Stones or small onions were placed under the eyelids to restore a lifelike appearance. Once this was done, the mummy could be covered with necklaces, rings and bracelets made of gold and gems.

In one Egyptian myth, the god Horus had his eye miraculously restored after losing it in a battle with the evil god Set. The Eye of Horus, called a wedjat, is associated with healing and protection. A wax or bronze plate with a wedjat carved on it was placed over the embalming incision to magically heal the gash in the afterlife.

The entire body was then covered in shrouds and bound with strips of linen until the mummy had returned to its original size. This was a complicated job and could take as long as a week.

Small magical amulets were inserted between the layers of the bandages to further protect the mummy’s spirit on its way to the afterlife. As each layer was added, it was coated with resin to hold the wrappings together with a waterproof seal.

After the wrapping was finished, the head of the mummy was covered with a portrait mask, just to make sure that the spirit would recognize it.

The masked mummy was then placed in a series of gilded wooden coffins and put into a sarcophagus.

On the day of the funeral, the mummy was brought to the tomb, where priests performed the Opening of the Mouth Ritual – touching the eyes, nose, and mouth of the coffin with a sacred tool. This ritual reactivated these senses for the afterlife.

Before the tomb was sealed, family members deposited food, clothes, furniture, and dishes, which the Egyptians believed the deceased would need for eternity.

Procession priests Muu dancers Mourners Servants ,carrying all the necessary funerary equipment

Before the Tomb Purifying Incense Opening of the Mouth ceremony- reanimating Kha and senses of the deceased Noises Music reactivate hearing and sight Flowers +incense= smelling Offerings of the choices of meats/wine= enabled the dead to eat.

Scenes of offering bearers and daily life were painted on the walls of the tomb, which provided comforting and familiar surroundings for the deceased in the afterlife.

The After Life Death is not seen as the last stage of life Before the mummy can reach the underworld it has to pass through seven gates, aided by the magic spells inscribed upon the funerary objects, then the dead person arrives in the presence of Osiris (god of the underworld) Osiris then performs a ceremony called the 'weighing of the heart' Heart of the dead person is weighed on a scale by the jackal headed god Anubis (god of dead) against the feather of Ma'at (goddess of truth) Balancing the scale meant immortality If the scale did not balance then Amemt (crocodile headed god) would eat the heart, and Seth, murderer of Osiris ate the rest of the body

SPIRIT OF THE DEAD Egyptians believe that each person is composed of three essential elements: ba (soul/personality), ka (life force), and the body in which the soul is kept Ka, ba and akh are believed to be immortal aspects of the soul thus remaining alive inside the body after death In the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, the ba and ka are released into the next world Upon death, the ba and ka become separated from the body but remain alive Because the body of the deceased is mummified, the body must rely on the ba to seek out the ka During the night when Ra visits the underworld, the ba are allowed to freely roam but must always return to the underworld because that is where the body lies and the ba and body are part of the same being If the ba is successful in reuniting itself with the ka, it becomes an akh If successful in becoming an akh, the akh inhabits the world after as it is believed by the Egyptians that three kinds of beings inhabit the world after death: gods, the dead (those who's ba and ka have not been united) and akhs Akhs are believed to be the "spirit of the dead" Ba Ka  Ba leaving the body 

After the tombs were closed, some wealthy families hired priests to offer food to the soul of the deceased periodically. Family members visited the site during special holidays to conduct ceremonies for the deceased.

The End