— the official site of body preservation

A further 30 days was set aside for various ritual acts that would allow the deceased to enter the afterlife.

Following this the body was placed in the tomb and the entrance resealed.

Mummies were used by the ancient Egyptians as a means of preserving their dead.

 

The Egyptians believed in an afterlife, for which they preserved the body of rich or important deceased persons.

 

Before the Egyptian Old Kingdom the Egyptians buried their dead in sand pits in the desert. Because of the dry conditions, natural desiccation took place and bodies were preserved in the sand.

Following unification of Egypt, the Pharaohs’ bodies were interred in brick built mastabas following death, which, by removing contact of the body from the hot, dry sand, allowed decay to take place. Over the course of a couple of centuries the Egyptians realised that it was the action of moisture in the body that facilitated decay and that the very act of placing the bodies in tombs had allowed    decay to take place by removing    contact with a desiccation agent, namely the sand.

 

Some means had to be devised to  remove moisture from the body prior to burial and the technique of mummification was perfected during the Egyptian Old Kingdom.

The technique of mummification   involved removing organs containing a high moisture content, in particular the brain, heart and intestines. With the exception of the brain, which was disposed of,  these organs were stored in jars known as canopic jars, which were placed in the burial chamber along with the coffin containing the body. Following removal of the    

internal organs, the body was soaked in a solution of natron, a natural  desiccating agent for a total of 40 days. This removed any moisture and the body was then wrapped in linen.

Mummy.Family Home Page / Pyramid Tombs

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To find out more about Egyptian history (and Mummification in particular) use our link to exploring the Egyptian afterlife and click here.

 

Read about Pyramids in the Old Kingdom by clicking here.