Discover the mysterious mummification process of the ancient Egyptians

We are quite familiar with mummy images in Egypt through famous Hollywood movies. So, in fact, how did the ancient embalming process of ancient Egypt take place?

Referring to Egypt, we are not only referring to the hidden mysteries of the Pyramid and the mysterious hidden land that is also famous for the thousands of year-old mummies still intact today.

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What is a mummy?

Mummies are bodies (possibly human or animal) preserved to limit or stop the decomposition process, which helps to survive as long as possible. Mummies are classified into 2 types: intentional mummies and natural mummies.

Accurately intended to be mummies used by humans using various methods to intervene in the body to keep the corpse dead over time. The most famous is the mummy of Egyptian Pharaohs.

Natural mummification is when the bodies are exposed to favorable environmental conditions (extreme cold or dry), leaving the body in place for years. The most famous is the Otzi tape dating back to 5,300 years ago. This is a mummy of a man found to create a glacier near the border between Italy and Austria in 1991.

Why did the Egyptians embalm the body after death?

Ancient Egyptians believed that the afterlife was true, where souls existed. In that world, the body is still the "home" of the soul, if the body is destroyed, the soul will be destroyed. Therefore, they embalmed corpses to keep the souls of the dead to continue their new life in the afterlife.

Process of mummification of ancient Egypt

The process of mummification of the Pharaohs, the supreme king of ancient Egypt, was carried out carefully, meticulously and most perfectly.

Basically, the embalming process is carried out for 70 days.

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After his death, the body was transferred to a hut by the mummified man called a purification site - Ibu to wash it with Nile water and palm wine.

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The organs are the most easily decomposed parts so they are removed by a mummified worker by tearing a line on the left side of the body.The heart is left untouched because for the Egyptians, it is the embodiment of wisdom and the dead will be indispensable to the afterlife.

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The brain is also removed by mummified men with special hooks.They smashed a bridge of the nose and stuffed the hook through the nose to the skull.

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The organs after being removed are washed with palm wine, then placed in 4 herbal jars and buried with the dead.

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Natron salt is stuffed into the abdomen by workmen as well as covering the body to absorb moisture and help the body stay in shape.

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After 40 days, the workers will use Nile water to wash the body.After that, they will use oil to apply it to help elastic skin.

After that, the mummies began to process the corpse.They use linen cloth wrapped around the head and neck.Fingers and toes are wrapped separately.

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Ancient Egyptians believed that talismans could protect the dead safely on their way to the afterlife, so they placed them between the layers wrapped around the body.

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When the workers carry out the mummification, a priest will stand next to the mantra to help the dead chase away evil spirits and evil spirits.

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The body and legs of the body were tied together and the workers placed between the hands of the body were the book for the dead.

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The body will be covered with layers of linen.Workers apply plastic to each layer of cloth to attach them to each other.A large cloth was used to wrap the mummy.After that, the figure of Osiris was painted by the workers on the surface of the cloth.The mummy was wrapped in a large linen cloth.Finally, the workers used a lot of linen straps wrapped around the mummy.Then, they put the mummy in a small coffin placed in a larger coffin.

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Family members hold funerals to see off the deceased.The ancient Egyptians also had the "open mouth" custom to let the dead eat and drink again.After that, the new coffin was placed in the grave along with luggage, clothes, food, water and valuable items for the deceased to begin the journey to the afterlife.

The position in the society when the dead are alive will determine the process of embalming as well as the burial site. The bodies of Pharaons are placed in majestic pyramids, and ordinary people are simply mummified and placed in a simple crypt.