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How Mummies are Made

Very early on, the ancient Egyptians had the idea of ​​the immortality of the soul. They regard human death as a continuation of “life” in another world, so they are keen on making mummies and repairing tombs. In order to let the dead human beings live better in “another world”.

Steps

In this regard, Herodotus left us detailed information.

First, coat the face with melted turpentine to protect the facial image and prevent it from drying too quickly.

Second, the brain is processed. The craftsman stuffed a chisel into the left nostril, crushed the ethmoid bone, and then rotated the tool in the skull to destroy the brain. Medicines and spices were stuffed into the empty skull. Brains are generally not preserved.

Third, take out the internal organs. The stomach, intestines, liver, and lungs were taken out through an incision on the left side of the belly. Finally, palm oil is used as a cleaning solution to clean the chest cavity and abdominal cavity. The above organs are sometimes neatly wrapped in turpentine balls and put into the mummy’s abdomen, and sometimes they are divided into small jars with lids, and then put into the abdomen. Small pots have grown in complexity from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom.

At the beginning, there were some simple jar lids, and human head-shaped jar lids appeared in the Middle Kingdom. In the early 18th Dynasty, the jar lids were guarded by the gods “sons of Horus” guarding the sacred internal organs. However, the ancient Egyptians were taboo to take out the heart. They regarded the heart as a symbol of wisdom and tried every means to keep it in the body. In the “Book of the Dead” during the New Kingdom, there is a record of three watchmen taking turns guarding the heart.

Fourth, dehydration. This is a very important drying procedure. The craftsmen first fill in the natron and other temporary fillers wrapped in cloth, and then place it in dry natron powder for about 40 days. Filled with myrrh, cinnamon, natron, sawdust, etc., the incision was carefully sewed, and a piece of skin with the eye of Horus was attached, because the ancient Egyptians believed that this skin had strong healing power and protection. force.

Fifth, make-up and plastic surgery. In order to maintain its softness, the mummy’s skin is selectively coated with a mixture of milk, wine, spices, beeswax, pine resin and asphalt to give skin beauty. The eyes of the mummy are filled with flax and stone, which is very vivid and vivid. The mummy was finally coated with a layer of turpentine to prevent moisture, and the make-up artist also applied a layer of carmine on the cheeks of the mummy, put on a braided wig on the head, dressed in clothes, and matched with the best jewelry.

Sixth, the package. The Egyptians believed that bandaging the corpse was full of dangers, so they accompanied the whole wrapping process (usually 15 days) with prayers. Every movement of the hand that binds the corpse is accompanied by a solemn prayer or a magical spell, while placing the amulet between the linen bandages. They attach great importance to placing it at the heart, and amulets are generally made of green stone in the shape of a scarab or a human heart, with words such as “keep the heart of the dead so that it does not produce things that harm the owner” are engraved on it. Other amulets were placed close to the mummy’s body or wrapped in linen.

Seventh, the card that the mummy greets him. The time is generally 70 days. Afterwards, the god Anubis secretly returned the mummy to his family to await burial.

Processing points

(1) Take out the most perishable internal organs immediately. Usually, an incision is made on the left side of the corpse, and all viscera such as the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines are taken out, and the brain of the dead thing is pulled out through the ethmoid bone through the nostrils, but the heart is not taken out. Because the ancient Egyptians believed that the heart is the organ of thinking and understanding and must remain in the body.

(2) To embalm the viscera and body cavity, first clean and disinfect them thoroughly with palm wine or date wine, then sprinkle a layer of crushed spices on the viscera, and put them into four jars for storage; for The sterilized body cavity is first filled with cloth-wrapped natron and other temporary fillings, then placed in dry natron powder for about forty days, and finally the incision is carefully sewn.

(3) Apply a layer of ointment or rosin solution to the treated corpse, and then wrap the fingers, palms, feet and trunk with white linen in turn. The nose of the deceased is sometimes damaged by extracting the brain At this time, a wooden false nose should be installed, and the eye sockets should also be plugged with cloth or artificial eyes.

(4) Cross the hands of the dead thing in front of the chest, put it into the sarcophagus, and sometimes add a coffin cover to the outside. In this way, a mummy is completed.