Mummies
The bandages fall away to reveal the face of a man who died over 2500 years ago. What did death mean to the ancient Egyptians? Why did they mummify the bodies of the dead? Why did they want to preserve the appearance of life in their dead for all eternity? These are the questions, which I will try to answer today through my speech on Mummies. I've also prepared a power point presentation to show you some visuals of mummies while I speak. When u think of the word mummy what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Well to most of us a mummy would simply mean an Egyptian dead body wrapped in bandages, buried deep inside a pyramid. Well actually a mummy is nothing but the body of a person that has been preserved after death. The word mummy comes from the Arabic word 'mumiyah', which means "bitumen" and it is believed to have preservative value. While the Egyptian ones are the most famous, mummies have been found in many places throughout the world, from Greenland to China to the Andes Mountains of South America. The ancient Egyptians believed that mummifying a person's body after death was essential to ensure a safe passage to the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that every person was composed of three essential elements: body
Three of the most famous Egyptians mummies are Tutankhamen, Seti I and Rameses II (Ramses the Great). Ba is very similar to what we call "personality" or "character. They help us to know something of the ancient Egyptians and their time. Haunting and sometimes horrifying, mummies are witness to the extraordinary skills of the embalmers. Mummification in ancient Egypt was a very long and expensive process. People are often frightened of mummies since it is said that anyone disturbing a mummy would be cursed and could meet misfortune or even tragic death. It is said that they have "died again," with no hope of renewed life. The mummy and its canopic jars were transported by sled from the embalming tent to the tomb. Since the ancient Egyptians considered the brain unimportant, it was probably thrown away. In particular, the Opening of the Mouth ceremony was believed to allow the mummy to see, hear, eat and drink in the spirit world. The Egyptians believed that when a person died, the ba and ka become separated from the body but they do not die. In the next world, or underworld the ka needs to be summoned back to the body and recognize it. Then all that had made the dead comfortable in his lifetime was collected. Finally, the last layer of bandages went on and was given one last coating of resin.
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Acceptance Essays
