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Essay on Egyptian mummification
Essay on Egyptian mummification
The science behind the mummification process in ancient Egypt
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The time period for Egyptian mummification is from their Predynastic Period (4650-3050 BC) until after the New Kingdom (1069 BC-395 AD). The Egyptians believed in Polytheism, which the religion of worshiping more than one god. Since they believed in more than one god, they believed in Osiris, the earthbound god of the dead, and Re, the sun god. These two gods were critical to the Egyptians, because they counted on those two gods to lead people into the afterlife. In order to achieve the afterlife, a proper burial had to take place for the dead. The Table of Sinuhe, a twelfth dynasty text, described the preparation for a funeral for someone who is elite in Egypt, which included: constructing the grave on an elite location, with both a public chapel and a private burial chamber. The Egyptians did this to preserve the name of the deceased, and their objects that were given to the deceased to help guide them to the afterlife. The family of the deceased then needed to choose which of the three embalming processes was right for them. There were three types of mummification processes: there was the most expensive and most elaborate process; the second way contained some of the steps from the first way to embalm a person, but was very limited; and the last way would be the cheapest and least elaborate way to embalm someone. The embalmer was astute man, who was respected and had the same privileges as the priests did. Nevertheless, this belief in life after death affected the population of Egypt and their art, architecture, technology, and their legal practices, which would be that no one could do any damage to a dead body. Historians find all this information from two writers, who wrote different pieces of text on mummification. The two ... ... middle of paper ... ...increased their science knowledge and increased their technology capacity. Mummification relates to Egypt, because before the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians used mummification, but instead of using chemicals such as Natron, they preserved their dead by desiccation. Before the Egyptians would then bury their dead in the arid desert with the deceased’s belongings. However, the wealthier Egyptians began to bury their dead in tombs, and used artificial mummification, which is removing the internal organs and wrapping the body in linen and burying them in coffins. But by the New Kingdom, the Egyptians perfected their mummification process, and had elaborate funerals for the deceased. Egyptian mummification is not used by the Egyptians frequently today, but the discoveries and texts were important in discovering how the Egyptians progress in science and technology.
Interestingly, X-rays reveal that the mummy case of Paankhenamun does in fact contain a mummy inside dating back to the years of c. 945 – 715 B.C. The practice of mummification was the Egyptian people’s way of preserving the spirits of the Gods/Goddesses and royalty. The idea was that when these beings came back to life, they would be preserved and well prepared for their next lives. By the time of the New Kingdom, the Egyptians already had developed techniques of mummification, which were done under a priest’s supervision (Stokstad 114), and since Paankhenamun was the priest of Amun, he was most likely was in charge of these procedures.
Ancient Egyptian culture was largely focused on the afterlife. One of their most important deities, Osiris, became the ruler of the Underworld through death. The pharaoh and elite class prepared for their impending deaths throughout their lives. Much of what survives from ancient Egypt today was found in tombs and temples of the dead. When one of the elite died, the process of laying him or her to rest was extensive. Harold Hays explains that “the ritualized process of embalming and mummification is usually stated as lasting seventy days” (Hays 5). "Funeral Procession, Tomb of Pairy" shows two of the processes that Hays details. The first depicted is the procession to the tomb. Pairy’s body would have already been through several processions, mummification, and embalming. This particular procession’s goal is to lead not just the body, but also the spirit into the afterlife. People of both high and low classes attended this procession, carrying with them the tomb goods (Hays 6-7). The second depicted
illogical to some, the reasons for embalming the dead made perfect sense to the Egyptians. Mummification kept corpses in a desiccate, pristine condition; the body must be suitable for the owner’s spirit to return for a rendezvous, as per Egyptian belief (Evans, 20)....
The Use of Techniques in The Mummy In the extract from ‘The Mummy’, a wide range of techniques are employed in order to convey certain aspects to the audience. The ways in which the camera is used have great effect on the impression given; for example the minimal movement, including slow pans, in order to not detract from the impressive nature of the exotic location – a staple for films of the action/adventure genre. The vastness of the desert is also emphasized by the use of wide shots, in which the screen is filled by the sandstorm and the heroes’ plane appears greatly vulnerable; this also makes use of another genre convention – the powerful odds which must be overcome. Another use of the wide shot is to provide a backdrop for the film’s spectacular special effects. Medium close-ups and close-ups (CUs) are used to focus on the expressions of the actors, such as when the female lead kisses the Mummy, and on the building psychological tension, for example the female lead’s concern for the occupants of the damaged aeroplane.
During the Middle and Upper Paleolithic era, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis started to create works of art such as cave paintings, rock art and jewelry as well as religious behavior through burial rights and rituals. These burials are important since it signifies a "concern for the dead that transcends daily life,” (Lieberman). These burial rights and rituals can be dated back to the Middle Paleolithic era, overlapping with the first appearance of Homo neanderthalensis. While it may be disputed, evidence suggests that the Homo neanderthalensis were the first to intentionally bury the dead in shallow graves along with what is assumed to be their possessions (Wikipedia).
The Egyptian Process of Mummification In ancient Egyptian society, preserving a body after death was an important process necessary for entrance into an immortal existence. According to Egyptian belief, the soul did not die. The soul would take the form of a bird, usually a falcon, and fly around in the world of the living returning later its dead body. The importance of preserving the body revolved around the idea that the roaming soul would be able to recognize the right body and return to it.
person has led a good life, he would let them go to the afterlife. The
Ancient Egyptians were very religious people with various beliefs and gods. Ancient Egypt consisted of the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. Not only is Ancient Egypt known for their outstanding architecture in pyramids, but also, their astonishing understanding of the human body. Mummification began around c.3500 BCE and by the Old Kingdom it had become a standard practice. Everything Egyptians did, including mummification had to do with their religious beliefs. They followed rituals to please the gods and therefore received something in exchange. Moreover, they believed that mummifying a body was preparing a person for their afterlife. The process of mummification changed depending on the person’s socioeconomic status.
Egyptians did not want to die. They saw no reason why life should not go on when they were dead. When the Egyptians thought about what happened when they died, they decided that there would be another life in store for them. A life that lasts forever, just like their life on earth, with parties, hunting, games, and good meals. What is the definition of a mummy? Egyptians wanted to cheat death. They had to do many things to achieve the gift of rebirth into the after-life. They had to stay on the right side of the gods, and learn the correct magic spells. If the Egyptians wanted to cheat death, their bodies had to be carefully preserved, for all time. The most important part of a person was thought to be his or her spirit, or double, known as the “ka.”
were 10 doors and at end there was a statue of Osiris, the god of the
The Egyptians during this period took ample time and detail on the mummification process to ensure a successful transition from the netherworld to rebirth. The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, 1025-980 B.C., it’s a depiction of how the Egyptians valued and honored their elite members of society, as well as their gods. The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, itself dates back to the III intermediate period in Egyptian culture. The Egyptian believe was to join Osiris, whom was believed to have ascended to Netherworld and accomplished eternal life.
The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife where the body will still be needed there, they will perceive and embalm their deceased in order to have an afterlife, the corpse of the person will be repossessed and the process is called mummification. Jeremiah (2012) stated, it is believed that the body of the deceased has to be taken care in order to prevent the body from decaying. Mummification is a process to preserve the flesh and skin of a corpse and this process takes seventy days to be done. The Egyptians use large cloth which is linen to cover the corpse in order to protect the body from rotting. According to Dawson (1927), it appears that in the Canary Islands mummification was mainly done for chiefs and the wealthier classes. The poor were buried either in caves or in the earth without artificial preservation since they could not afford to pay the service, offered by embalmers. There are three major steps in mummification which are, evisceration followed by, desiccation and the final step are wrapping the mummy.
In the present time, Ancient Egypt is one of the most notable early civilizations that took care in preserving the bodies of their dead (Wikipedia.com). However, preservation of the deceased’s body advanced during the Age of
Mummification has had a role in embalming since A.D. 600. What is mummification and why was it done? Mummification is linked with Anubis, the God of mummification. After Egyptians assumed that the body had to be preserved in order for the soul to be identified following death. Anubis, who is shown as a jackal, is credited with embalming. The hearts of the deceased were weighted to value their worth in the underworld. The reason for mummification was to rid the moisture and preserve the body. Mainly only the were mummified in Ancient Greece.
In the ancient Egyptian religion, mummification was a significant and important step in the burial traditions as they believed that the only way to get to the afterlife was to have a preserved body and many treasures. However, it was not until the 4th and 5th centuries that Egyptians started intentionally mummifying the dead. Before there were dynasties in Egypt, the bodies of the dead were dried out in the sun before being buried in the ground but the practice evolved to the commonly known form of mummification in the New Kingdom with tombs and better-preserved mummies. Some of the best-preserved mummies are dated from around the 18th – 20th dynasties in the New Kingdom, one of these mummies included the boy-pharaoh, King Tutankhamun.