Mummification In Ancient Egyptian Culture

628 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Paragraph on egyptian burial rites

Death and the journey to the next life were very important to the ancient Egyptian culture and is what perhaps has drawn and still captures the fascination of historians and people alike. Most of Egyptian mythology stems from beliefs of the afterlife and thus explains the importance of mummification. The act of mummification was to ready the body of the deceased for its next journey so that the spirit could once again be reunited with the body. The process of mummification was a long and lengthy process that only the most elite could afford. Common people were not properly preserved and their coffins were made out of easily accessible materials. The ceremony of mummification was very private and done in the presence of a special priest in a workshop near the tomb. The body fist was observed by the scribe and cutter. The method of cutting the body was very unclean and unsanitary. Lastly, the body was then seen by an embalmer, or special priest, who prepared the body. The entire process took approximately two months. …show more content…

The brain was the first to be removed from the body and was pulled through the nose so as to not make any incisions on the head. The head cavity was then filled with linen and resin. Then an incision was made to remove all important organs minus the heart. The organs were placed in four different jars that represented the four sons of Horus. These jars, called Canopic jars, held a drying agent to better preserve the organ. The jars were then placed back into the body or would accompany the body back to the tomb. The body was then washed and dried, a process that took approximately forty days. After the body was dried, it was then stuffed with linen to make the body appear plump. The incision was sewn together and sealed with wax. The eye sockets were also filled with linen, or a fake eyeball was placed in the cavity. Finally, the entire body was wrapped in linen and transported to the

Show More
Related

  • Mummy Case of Paankhenamun

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the ancient Egyptian culture, the belief was that there was a life force and spirit inside of the body, known as the ‘Ka’. Therefore, mummification was performed as a ritual to preserve the physical features of the body as well as to protect its inner spirit, mainly to ensure that the ‘Ka’ could recognize the body where it may dwell in the eternal life. Thus, the funerary psychology of ancient Egyptians was that death did not bring an end to living, but instead was only an escape from the physical human life and a gateway to immortal being. Due to the fact that a being’s life span was short in ancient times, people’s main hopes rested in their afterlives, where they would be with the gods (Stockstad 121).

    Read More

  • Tomb Of Pairy Analysis

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ancient Egyptian culture was largely focused on the afterlife. One of their most important deities, Osiris, became the ruler of the Underworld through death. The pharaoh and elite class prepared for their impending deaths throughout their lives. Much of what survives from ancient Egypt today was found in tombs and temples of the dead. When one of the elite died, the process of laying him or her to rest was extensive. Harold Hays explains that “the ritualized process of embalming and mummification is usually stated as lasting seventy days” (Hays 5). "Funeral Procession, Tomb of Pairy" shows two of the processes that Hays details. The first depicted is the procession to the tomb. Pairy’s body would have already been through several processions, mummification, and embalming. This particular procession’s goal is to lead not just the body, but also the spirit into the afterlife. People of both high and low classes attended this procession, carrying with them the tomb goods (Hays 6-7). The second depicted

    Read More

  • The Coffin Of Tentkhonsu

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Egyptians during this period took ample time and detail on the mummification process to ensure a successful transition from the netherworld to rebirth. The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, 1025-980 B.C., it’s a depiction of how the Egyptians valued and honored their elite members of society, as well as their gods. The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, itself dates back to the III intermediate period in Egyptian culture. The Egyptian believe was to join Osiris, whom was believed to have ascended to Netherworld and accomplished eternal life.

    Read More

  • Egyptian View of the Afterlife

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    The elements that will be focused on are the multiple functions of the tomb and rituals, specifically the mummification of bodies. Ancient Egyptian tombs had many functions; the main function being to hold the bodies of the dead. Tombs were typically built during a person’s lifetime and were ready by their time of death (Olson, 2009). Before bodies were put in the tombs, they underwent a process called mummification to help preserve the body and keep it intact. The tomb was also a place where family members could come and visit the deceased. In the early years, tomb structures were very simple; they consisted only of one chamber (Grajetzki, 2003: 3-4). Later on, façade tombs were built— which consisted of two parts; an “underground chamber for the dead and the superstructure built above the ground, over the shaft and the burial chamber” (Grajetzki, 2003: 8). Next, the Egyptian tombs and ...

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Death And The Afterlife

    1758 Words  | 4 Pages

    A common question many civilizations shared and strived to answer was about death and the afterlife. In Ancient Egypt, the lives of many citizens centered around a prosperous future in death. In fact, Ancient Egyptians believed life continued on in death. For this reason, they yearned to live justly as citizens of Egypt. If not, then the gods would deem them unworthy of entering heaven, or paradise. This was Ancient Egypt, a society seemingly obsessed with the afterlife and enriched with funeral practices. Their worship of pharaohs and gods, detailed inscriptions about mummification, and elaborate tombs influenced their constant strive towards achieving everlasting peace in the afterlife.

    Read More

  • Burial Practices of Ancient Egypt

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perhaps the most notorious of burial practices originating in Egypt is that of mummification. Why such an extraordinary attempt was made to preserve cadavers may seem

    Read More

  • Sumarian Marriage Practices

    2945 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...ok part in numbers commensurate with the popularity of the king. The attendants would lay the body down and completely seal the tomb. At its opening they would make sacrifices to their fallen king and then bury the entire tomb except for the tops of the walls. Inside the tomb, the king was laid to rest in a brick room in the middle of the structure. Adjacent chambers branching out would hold attendants buried with the king. On a clay floor, people would sacrifice human lives to the king. They would then build a platform on top of the bodies and offer more human sacrifices. As sacrifices continued, the importance of the lives being sacrificed increased until a major sacrifice, such as the queen, was made last. She would get a coffin at the very top of the sacrificial tomb, and a chapel would be built over the whole structure that would indicate the tomb's location.

    Read More

  • Egyptian Tombs

    1865 Words  | 4 Pages

    were 10 doors and at end there was a statue of Osiris, the god of the

    Read More

  • The Egyptian Process of Mummification

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a result of this theology, Egyptians developed an effective system of embalming. The Egyptian embalming process was significant and complicated. process performed by the priests. Employing a crooked piece of iron the brain would be removed through the nostrils. A sharp stone was used to cut open the body and extract the intestines.

    Read More

  • Influence Of Rosetta Stone On Greek Culture

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Roman art, tombs of family members were decorated with portraits to honor and remember their dead. Egyptians did not do this for their dead until the first century. Instead, they relied on inscriptions for the identification of the deceased with the names and titles they had held in life. However, once Egyptians adopted these funerary methods, they remained popular for two-hundred years. Egyptian mummy portraits became a part of the mummification process for the dead. Bodies would first have all organs but the heart removed, then be left in salt for roughly over a month. After forty days, the body would be treated with plant resins and perfumed oils. Once this is done, thick layers of resin would be used as an adhesive and be

    Read More

  • Canopic Chests Analysis

    367 Words  | 1 Pages

    These containers, also known as Canopic chests, represent some of the most detailed and stunning artwork in ancient Egypt. During the Second Intermediate Period from 1700 to 1570 B.C.E, the heads of the jars changed to animal and human forms. The primary use of these jars was to contain the internal organs of individuals that were removed during the process of mummification. Interesting enough, while all other organs were removed from the body the heart was not. The reason for this was because the Egyptian’s believed that in the afterlife the heart would be weighed in order to judge if that person had been good or bad. In addition, each jar had a different head representing a different organ from the body. For instance, the Imsety has a human

    Read More

  • Essay On Egyptian Burial Practices

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most common ancient Egyptian burial practice is the mummification process as depicted in source B. Mummification is a ritual that embalmers performed when a pharaoh died. Source B is a photograph of the canoptic jars which are a main component of the mummification process. The first step in the mummification process is the removal and preservation of most of the internal organs, such as the lungs, the stomach, the liver and intestines. These organs are then separately embalmed and placed into canoptic jars as source B reveals. These jars were often decorated with one of the four animal-headed sons of the god Horus. Each head is believed to be the protector of each organ within the jar and is dedicated to a specific deity. The preservation of the organs is significant as they allowed the dead person to breathe and eat in the afterlife. The internal organs were then wrapped and put into either the body or put in boxes instead of sitting in jars. Canoptic jars were still placed in the tomb but they were solid or empty and provided a symbolic purpose. In Tutankhamun’s tomb the canoptic jars were discovered in a shrine that was found in the treasury room of the tomb. Source B is useful is when understanding the mummification process.

    Read More

  • Bog Mummies Research Paper

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    Several types of mummies exist and they all have a variety of attributes. Some other types of mummies are Egyptian, Ice, and African/Asian mummies. The first Egyptian mummies were spontaneous as Egypt’s climate was dry and Egyptians dug shallow graves. Once Egyptian’s realized bodies could be conserved they developed a more complex technique using anthropogenic mummification, or mummification caused by humans. Specifically, Wikipedia’s article on mummies describes the process Egyptians used. Bodies were disemboweled and washed out with a mix of spices and wine. Then organs were dried out and sealed in jars while the body was wrapped in linen. Finally, the body was treated in resin and placed into a coffin or sarcophagus also treated in resin. (“Mummy”) African and Asian mummies had the same characteristics and climate. In contrast, Siberian and Incan mummies are mummified in ice. Unlike Egyptian, African, and Asian mummies, ice mummies are not dried out. Their bodies retained their original structure. Egyptian anthropogenic mummies had better quality depending on their class and bodies were preserved for religious reasons, while ice mummies were normally sacrifices, and Asian and African ones were normally unintentional. In summary, all mummies were not created equally, and bodies were mummified for many diverse

    Read More

  • Mummy Portraits Inclusion In The Mummification Process

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    The mummy portraits’ inclusion in the mummification process was just one part of a very specific set of rituals and procedures in preparing the dead for the afterlife. The art found in old mummy coffins and ancient Egyptian tombs was never intended to be seen by

    Read More

  • Ancient Egyptian Burial Practices

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    Historians and archaeologists are major parts in the way many historic investigations are completed and how the results are preserved. Historians and archaeologists contribute to our understanding of Egyptian burial practices by completing historic investigations in Egypt and gathering information to help produce evidence of certain activities occurring such as pit burials and mastabas, Tutankhamun is a very important example of how ancient Egyptian burial practices have been understood.

    Read More

More about Mummification In Ancient Egyptian Culture

Open Document