Mummies in Egypt

             Come see the amazing mummies of ancient Egypt. These mummies have stood the testament of time lasting thousands of years. You can come and witness one of the most famous mummies of all time, Tutankhamun. His tomb, which was discovered in 1992, was filled with statues, gold, hieroglyphics and a lot more ancient artifacts. On his mask he has two symbols representing he was the ruler of lower and upper Egypt. This tomb helped piece together Egyptian culture more than any other Egyptian site because it was untouched by grave robbers. For 3000 years it lied frozen in time and untainted by later civilizations. You can still see the corps today thanks to a process known as mummification. It takes approximately 17 days to complete this process. First the body was purified, and then they would take out the person's organs. They made a slit on the left side of the body so they could remove the intestines, liver, stomach and lungs. The organs were dried out using natron, a mixture of different types of minerals and salts, and then wrapped in linens. They were then placed into canopic jars. The jars were decorated with the four sons of Horus. The body was then stuffed with natron, which helped the body to dry out faster and retard the spread of bacteria. They took out the brain with a long hook and since they did not find it important, they probably threw it away. The body was then put on a board covered with natron, which soaked up any remaining fluids. (Natron occurs in Egypt in a few places. Water containing natron in solution comes to the surface and is evaporated, leaving the natron as surface deposits.) The body is then wrapped in about 20 layers of linens. Finally a mask was put over the head and it was ready for the funeral.
             The ancient Egyptians obviously had very strong religious beliefs. This was the whole reasoning behind the mummification process. Many ancient tombs have drawings of gods and goddesses. The most popular god i...

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Mummies in Egypt. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 14:06, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/94292.html