Learning Objective - To find out how mummification came about and how it was carried out

Ancient Egypt The development of mummification

Ancient Egyptians believed that their body needed to be preserved in order for them to enjoy the afterlife. Ani greets the gods in the afterlife Ani paddles his boat across the beautiful ‘Lake of Offerings’ Papyrus from the Book of the Dead of Ani, around 1250 BC, Thebes, Egypt. Museum number: 1888,0515.1.35 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/p/papyrus_from_the_book_of_the-3.aspx Ani ploughs the fertile fields of the afterlife

Ancient Egyptian mummification developed over time. c3400 BC The first burials in the hot desert sands led to natural mummification of the whole body. c3000 BC Later, placing the body in a coffin meant that only the skeleton survived. Gebelein Man, around 3,500 BC, Gebelein in Egypt. Museum number: 1900,1018.1 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/p/gebelein_man.aspx Wooden coffin with the remains of a skeleton, around 3,000 BC, from Tarkhan, Egypt. Museum number: 1913,0730.4 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/w/wooden_coffin_with_the_remains.aspx Wooden coffin, around 600BC, from Thebes. Museum number: 1869,1007.3 Inner coffin of Seshepenmehyt. The face on the coffin is painted green to reflect the association with Osiris, and below the collar the goddess Nut spreads her wings. This coffin is decorated inside and out with scenes and inscriptions from the afterlife.. X-rays tell us that Seshepenmehyt was between 25 – 40 years old when she died. c2600 BC So the Egyptians developed a way to artificially mummify the body before putting it in the coffin.

Early mummification was a natural process. Bodies placed in the hot sand dehydrated because the hot sand absorbed the water from the body. The desert sand was hot and dry. Gebelein Man, around 3,500 BC, Gebelein in Egypt. Museum number: 1900,1018.1 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/p/gebelein_man.aspx Dehydration (drying out) preserved the whole body.

The result is a natural sand-dried mummy. Gebelein Man, around 3,500 BC, Gebelein in Egypt. Museum number: 1900,1018.1 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/p/gebelein_man.aspx preserved skin burial in sand grave goods

But bodies buried in the desert sands were at risk from wild animals. Carrion eaters of ancient Egypt Egyptian vulture – photograh © Kousik Nandy Egyptian jackal – photograph from lexacain.blogspot.com If animals attacked the bodies they would not be preserved and would not reach the afterlife.

They decided to place the body in a coffin. Will this work? No. This is a skeleton (not a mummy). The soft parts of the body have rotted away. Why did the body rot? The hot dry sand could not reach the body to dry it out… ...so the soft parts rotted away. Wooden coffin with the remains of a skeleton, around 3,000 BC, from Tarkhan, Egypt Museum number: 1913,0730.4 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/w/wooden_coffin_with_the_remains.aspx

Then they wrapped the body in linen bandages. The ancient Egyptians realised they needed to mummify the dead body artificially before they placed it in the coffin. They dehydrated the body and the internal organs by covering them in salt. Linen bag of salt for mummification, 1550-1070 BC, Deir el-Bahari, Egypt. Museum number: 1906,1013.154 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/l/linen_bag_of_salt_for_mummific.aspx Strip of decorated linen, after 1550BC, Egypt. Museum number: EA 6517 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/s/strip_of_decorated_linen.aspx Then they wrapped the body in linen bandages.

The mummy was then placed in an inner coffin. A mummy mask was placed over the face of the wrapped body and then the body was put inside one or more wooden coffins. This is the bandaged mummy of a priest called Hornedjitef. Loaf of bread, From Deir el-Bahari, Thebes, Egypt. New Kingdom, around 1500 BC Museum number: (EA) 40942 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/l/loaf_of_bread.aspx Wooden furniture, From Thebes, Egypt; Sandals from Beni Hassan, Egypt. New Kingdom, 1550-1069 BC; Sandals, Middle Kingdom, 2125-1795 BC Museum numbers: (EA) 2469, 2472, 2480, 26227, 41578, 59775 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/w/wooden_furniture.aspx Shabti box and figures of Henutmehyt, From the tomb of Henutmehyt at Thebes, Egypt. 19th Dynasty, around 1250 BC Museum number: (EA) 41548 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/s/shabti_box_and_figures_of_henu.aspx Papyrus from the Book of the Dead of Nakht, From Thebes, Egypt. Late 18th Dynasty, 1350-1300 BC Museum number: (EA) 10471/21 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/p/papyrus_from_the_book_of_the-6.aspx Mummy of Horemheb, Egypt, Ptolomaic Period, 332-31 BC. Museum number: (EA) 6680 Horemheb was an adult large-boned man, wrapped in linen and with a gilded cartonnage mummy-mask and painted mummy-cover; amulets in the thorax and bundles of resin-soaked linen in the abdomen. The mummy was then placed in an inner coffin. The mummy mask was placed over the wrapped face.

Then the inner coffin was placed in the outer coffin. The lid of the inner coffn of Hornedjitef was closed. This process was very expensive so over 99% of the population were buried in the sand to become natural sand dried mummies

The coffin was put into a tomb. Other objects were placed alongside that would be useful to the person in the afterlife. Food Servants Household goods A Book of the Dead