Mummification

 

Embalming the body

First, his body is taken to the tent known as 'ibu' or the 'place of purification'. There the embalmers wash his body with good-smelling palm wine and rinse it with water from the Nile. 

One of the embalmer's men makes a cut in the left side of the body and removes many of the internal organs. It is important to remove these because they are the first part of the body to decompose.  

The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines are washed and packed in natron which will dry them out. The heart is not taken out of the body because it is the centre of intelligence and feeling and the man will need it in the afterlife. 

  

A long hook is used to smash the brain and pull it out through the nose.  

Next..

The body is now covered and stuffed with natron which will dry it out. All of the fluids, and rags from the embalming process will be saved and buried along with the body. 

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 After forty days the body is washed again with water from the Nile. Then it is covered with oils to help the skin stay elastic. 

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The dehydrated internal organs are wrapped in linen and returned to the body. The body is stuffed with dry materials such as sawdust, leaves and linen so that it looks lifelike. 

Finally the body is covered again with good-smelling oils. It is now ready to be wrapped in linen.

 In the past, when the internal organs were removed from a body they were placed in hollow canopic jars.

Over many years the embalming practices changed and embalmers began returning internal organs to bodies after the organs had been dried in natron. However, solid wood or stone canopic jars were still buried with the mummy to symbolically protect the internal organs. 

Imsety the human-headed god looks after the liver. 

Hapy the baboon-headed god looks after the lungs 

Duamutef the jackal-headed god looks after the stomach

Qebehsenuef the falcon-headed god looks after the intestines. 

(Lit : british Museum London)

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