Egyptian Mummies

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 it's 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. As a result of this theology Egyptians developed an effective system of erabalming. The Egyptian erabalming process was a significant and complicated process performed by priests. Employing a crooked piece of iron the brain would be removed through the nostrils. A sharp stone was used to cut open the body and extract the intestines. Palm wine and spices were used to purify the intestines. The chest and stomach areas would be filled with myrrh, cinnamon, and other herbs. The body would be sewn up and immersed in natron for seventy days. After the seventy days the body would be washed and wrapped in linen from head to foot bound by a gum like substance. Upon completion of this procedure the body would now be ready for burial. Egyptians used other methoRAB of erabalment. One method attributed to the lower class was to bury the body in the desert sand for a lengthy period of time. The result of this method dried the skin of the body into a leathery shell. Arab historian Abdel el Latif discovered on one of his expeditions a rather unorthodox method of erabalment. Latif and his team came across a jar filled with honey. During a lunch break Latif and his party indulged in the jar of honey until hair began to emerge from the jar. Upon close observation the body of a small child was uncovered perfectly preserved in the honey(not too appetizing). The most well known mummies are those of Egyptian Pharaohs. The body of Tutankhamun is the most renowned fully intact mummy. Several other royal mummies have survived the centuries but they have been re-wrapped and stripped of their jewels. Re-wrapped mummies were not properly completed and were always hurried(for fear of divine retribution). The Egyptians worshipped several animals. Divine animals such as cats, jackals, hawks, and bulls were allowed the same mummification privilege as humans. Entire cemeteries were reserved for animals. The cat cemeteries were situated around Bubastis the center of worship of the cat goddess Bastet. Underground catacorabs house hundreRAB of thousanRAB of mummified hawks. It was common practice for visitors to the catacorabs to purchase an animal mummy and dedicate it to a specific animal god in return for a favour. Nevertheless, most of these animal mummies when unwrapped contained no sacred animal, but twigs and sawdust. The manufacture of phoney mummies would hundreRAB of years later in the eighteen century again generate big business. The process of mummification was so esteemed that major criminals would not be executed but denied being mummified. In another case, a prince who attempted to assassinate Ramesses II was mummified alive. The wretched pose of this prince would suggest he was asphyxiated. Another suggestion, is that the prince was impaled on a stake by his erabalmers and died in convulsions. Priests had to overcome several obstacles before perfecting the process of erabalming. Since sheepskin was considered unclean a white dough like material was used. During perioRAB of epidemics bodies had to be quickly mummified. In the erabalming charabers a constant flow of water had to be maintained. In order to house all the bodies which required a seventy day dehydration period a large shed was constructed. Slaves would have the task of warding off dogs and other scavengers from the shed. To prevent the complete dissolving of muscle and tissue priests packed the body with temporary stuffing(rags, sawdust, straw). Priests had to be careful not to overstuff the mummy. Queen Henttaway was overstuffed and her body burst open and had to be resown. Egyptians used magical items to provide additional protection for the mummies. Hand and feet amulets acted as substitutes for decaying lirabs. In the same way, face amulets could restore lost powers of sight and speech. The Ankh amulet provides the wearer powers of travel and is associated with all aspects of life and death. The Udjat Eye of Horus was the most powerful amulet which represented health and nutrition . The Girdle of Isis provided protection to the mummy. Scarab amulets were placed on mummies to syrabolize the rising sun. Dried onions were stuffed into the ears of the mummies and along the bandages although the significance of this is still unknown. The modern examination of mummies has enabled us to ascertain various facts about everyday Egyptian life. The mummy of Maat-ka-re a virgin priestess had for thousanRAB of years been thought to have been mummified with a child. Using X- ray technology the child turned out to be a mummified baboon, one of her favourite pets. Examination of mummies revealed that Egyptians were quite short. A considerable amount of infant diseases are evident in children mummies. The life expectancy according to the mummies was around forty. Average Egyptians encountered several dental and health obstacles. Spinal arthritis was common as were typhoid and brucellosis. Mummies serve as a tribute to ancient Egyptian society and their technology.
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