The Egyptians believed that after
death they would live on in the afterlife. As well as needing all their daily
items for the next life, they also needed their bodies. They therefore had
their bodies preserved or mummified.
It took 70 days to fully prepare a
body for burial, although if a person was poor they would be mummified in less
than a week.
Ten embalming tips!
The embalmers first
had to remove the moist parts of body which would rot. The brain was removed
through the nostrils with a hook and thrown away because it was not believed to
be important
The internal organs were removed through a cut in the left side of the
body. The lungs, liver, stomach and intestines were mummified separately and
placed in special containers called canopic jars
The heart was left in the mummy in order to be weighed against the
'Feather of Truth and Justice' in the afterlife. If the deceased had done bad
things the heart would be heavy and they would be devoured. If the heart
weighed the same as the feather the deceased would enter the afterlife
The body was covered in a salt called natron for 40 days to dissolve
body fats and absorb the moisture
Linen was used to pad out the cavities and the body was treated with
herbs, oils and resin
The body was given make-up, jewellery and a wig. Any parts of the body
that were missing or damaged would be replaced with wooden parts to symbolise a
complete body in the afterlife
Protective amulets were placed on the body like the scarab amulet and
the wedjat eye amulet
The embalmers then wrapped the body in linen bandages; this took 15 days
while spells and rituals were performed to ensure safe passage to the
afterlife. The body was fitted with a mask and placed in a coffin or series of
coffins
The 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony took place just before burial. The
priest would touch the face of the coffin with special instruments to restore
speech, sight and hearing for the afterlife
The coffin was then placed in the tomb surrounded by possessions and
small model workers called shabtis who would work for the dead in the
afterlife.
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