Mummification in Ancient Egypt

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About four and a half thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians started a tradition that would last for thousands of years. The practice of preserving the bodies of the dead was both ritualistic and spiritual. Their intricate burial procedures and elaborate tombs were also a crucial part of laying the deceased to rest. The process of mummification began as an accident. Before they buried their dead in proper graves, the Egyptians laid their loved ones to rest in shallow pits in the desert. The sand and heat from the sun dried out the bodies which preserved them perfectly. However, when they started burying their dead in coffins, they realized that the bodies were no longer being preserved. This is when they decided to come up with their own way of preserving or “mummifying” the deceased. (“Mummification”) According to Herodotus, a fifth century Greek historian, there are 3 levels of mummification. The most elaborate and most expensive treatment was usually only used on the wealthy and elite such as the pharaoh. The second and third levels of mummification were much less detailed and time consuming but were still effective. These treatments were usually used on people of average wealth. The embalming process started out in a tent known as an “ibu”. “There the embalmers wash [the] body with good-smelling palm wine and rinse it with water from the Nile” (“Mummification”). Once the body was washed, the internal organs were removed through an incision made on the left side of the body. The only thing left in the body was the heart because they believed it was the center of intelligence that the person would need it in the afterlife. (“Mummification”) Some of the organs, including the stomach, liver, lungs, and intestines... ... middle of paper ... ...tion/english/amulet?q=amulet (22 November 2013). Herodotus. The Internet Classics Archive | The History of Herodotus by Herodotus. The History of Herodotus. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. The Internet Classics Archive | The History of Herodotus by Herodotus. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. . "Mummification." Mummification. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. . "Mummy Tombs: Diodorus & Mummymaking." Mummy Tombs: Diodorus & Mummymaking. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. . “Natron.” Oxforddictionaries.com. 2013. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/natron (22 November 2013). "Opening of the Mouth Ritual." The Global Egyptian Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013. .

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