I have an assingment on Ancient Egyptian Mummies, Got any info?

Question

I ain't got no info and im screwed if i dont do the assingment

Answer 1

The ancient Egyptians mummified the bodies of the dead because they believed that one day the soul is going to come back to the same body, for this they wanted to preserve the bodies.

First the brain was removed from the skull using a long needle through the nose.

The internal organs were removed from the body and were preserved in salted water in four separate jars called canopic jars.

The body without the brain and internal organs is put in natron salt 40 days( in the old Kingdom, but 70 days( in the new Kingdom). After that what remains is a dry body with no humidity, no blood or flesh.

This is painted with resin to keep the humidity away. Then the body is wrapped in bands of cloth and a mask is put on the head then the mummy is put in a coffin or more one inside the other and then this is put in a sarcophagus.

Answer 2

The  tradition of mummification of a deceased person began in Egypt prior to the dynastic era.

The earliest examples found have been dessicated for preservation rather than undergone the lengthy involved process of ritual mummification.

The natural dry heat produced by burial in the sand and absence of any moisture to promote the growth of bacteria or fungi made for the perfect means of natural preservation of the deceased remains and examples of this early form of ritual  burial have been located at Abydoss and several other locations throughout Egypt.

Mummification by removal of the viscera and immersing the body in a naturally occurring salt called natron for a specific period had become the accepted and preferred way of preserving the body for eternity by the beginning of the Old Kingdom c2584BCE.

The  practise of mummification and the associated rituals carried out within a traditionally specified time period of 70 days continued with very little change until the end of the Greco-Roman era and the advent of Christianity.

There have been many attempts to replicate the process of mummification by Universties in recent years. The Luxor Mummication Museum has on display the results of  mummification of birds and animals during the past 20 years  

The process was carried out using the same methods,oils and ungents etc as were used in ancient times.

However,specimens that were mummified only 10 years ago are already showing signs of decay and several have had to be removed in that time due to putrification.

So it cannot be said that we can successfully carry out the process of mummification with the same level of success and proficiency that was done by the "wab" priests and embalmers of ancient Egypt, even in the sterile conditions of a university laboratory.

Here are two very good sites that give extensive information on the customs, methodology and practise of mummification in ancient Egypt.

From them you will be able to gain a very good insight in to the process and rituals of mummification and its use in funerary preparation in ancient Egypt.

Both are highly recommended and would be suitable to be used as sources for researching your project.

http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/m...

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/...

Answer 3

A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs. Mummies of humans and other animals have been found throughout the world, both as a result of natural preservation through unusual conditions, and as cultural artifacts to preserve the dead.

Etymology

The English word mummy is derived from medieval Latin mumia, a borrowing of the Persian or Arabic word mūmiyyah (مومية), which means "bitumen". Because of the blackened skin of mummies, bitumen was once thought to be used extensively in ancient Egyptian embalming procedures.

Ancient Egypt

A mummy in the British Museum.

Although mummification existed in other cultures, eternal life was the main focus of all Ancient Egyptians, which meant preserving the body forever. Egyptian culture believed the body was home in the afterlife to a person's Ka and Ba, without which it would be condemned to eternal wandering.

The earliest known Egyptian "mummified" individual dates back to approximately 3300 BC. This individual, nicknamed 'Ginger' because of the color of his hair, is not internationally renowned despite being older than other famous mummies, such as Rameses II or Seti I. Currently on display in the British Museum, Ginger was discovered buried in hot desert sand. Desert conditions can naturally preserve bodies so it is uncertain whether the mummification was intentional or not. However, since Ginger was buried with some pottery vessels it is likely that the mummification was a result of preservation techniques of those burying him. Stones might have been piled on top to prevent the corpse from being eaten by jackals and other scavengers and the pottery might have held food and drink which was later believed to sustain the deceased during the journey to the other world. While there are no written records of religion from that time, the beliefs of those who buried Ginger could have resembled the later religion to some extent.[citation needed]

The earliest technique of deliberate mummification, as used ca. 3000 BC, was minimal and not yet mastered. The organs were eventually removed (with the exception of the heart) and stored in canopic jars, allowing the body to be more well-preserved as it rested. Occasionally embalmers would break the bone behind the nose, and break the brain into small pieces in order that it could be pulled out through the nasal passage. The embalmers would then fill the skull with thick plant-based resin or plant resin sawdust.[citation needed]

It also wasn’t until the Middle Kingdom that embalmers used natural salts to remove moisture from the body. The salt-like substance natron dried out and preserved more flesh than bone. Once dried, mummies were ritualistically anointed with oils and perfumes. The 21st Dynasty brought forth its most advanced skills in embalming and the mummification process reached its peak. The bodies' abdomens were opened and all organs, except for the heart, were removed and preserved in Canopic jars. The brain, thought to be useless, was pulled out through the nose with hooks, then discarded. It was also drained through the nose after being liquefied with the same hooks.

The emptied body was then covered in natron, to speed up the process of dehydration and prevent decomposition. Natron dries the body up faster than desert sand, preserving the body better. Often finger and toe protectors were placed over the mummies fingers and toes to prevent breakage. They were wrapped with strips of white linen that protected the body from being damaged. After that, they were wrapped in a sheet of canvas to further protect them. Many sacred charms and amulets were placed in and around the mummy and the wrappings. This was meant to protect the mummy from harm and to give good luck to the Ka of the mummy. Once preserved, the mummies were laid to rest in a sarcophagus inside a tomb, where it was believed that the mummy would rest eternally. In some cases the mummy's mouth would later be opened in a ritual designed to symbolize breathing, giving rise to legends about revivified mummies.[1]

Egyptian mummies as a commodity

    * In the Middle Ages, based on a mis-translation from Arabic it became common practice to grind mummies preserved in bitumen into a powder to be sold and used as medicine. When actual mummies became unavailable, the sun-desiccated corpses of criminals, slaves and suicidal people were substituted by mendacious merchants.[2] The practice developed into a wide-scale business which flourished until the late 16th century. Two centuries ago, mummies were still believed to have medicinal properties against bleeding, and were sold as pharmaceuticals in powdered form as in Mellified Man.[3]

    * Artists also made use of Egyptian mummies; the brownish paint known as Caput mortuum (Latin for death's head) was originally made from the wrappings of mummies. It was most popular in the 17th century but was discontinued in the early 19th century when its composition became generally known to artists.

    * In the 19th century, European aristocrats would occasionally entertain themselves by purchasing mummies, having them unwrapped, and holding observation sessions.[4] These sessions destroyed hundreds of mummies, because the exposure to the air caused them to disintegrate.

    * An urban myth of mummies being used as fuel for locomotives was popularized by Mark Twain,[5] but the truth of the story remains a debate.

    * During the American Civil War, mummy-wrapping linens were said to have been used to manufacture paper.[5][6] Evidence for the reality of these claims is still equivocal.[7][8]

    * Many thousands of mummified cats were sent from Egypt to England to be processed for use in fertilizer