A mummy is a dead human whose organs are preserved; this was very common in ancient Egypt. Mummification is the process of drying out the corpse and embalming it in order to prepare the soul for the afterlife. First the Egyptians hammered a spike into the skull in order to smash the brain before pouring out the liquid from the corpse’s nostrils. After, the guts, the liver, the stomach and the intestines were removed as they contain digestive enzymes which destroy the inside of the corpse. The organs were placed into decorated canopic jars before covering them with a natural occurring salt called ‘natron’ to prevent decay by killing bacteria and preventing the body’s digestive enzymes to stop attacking the inside of the dead body. The priest would then stuff the body with natron and wash it clean to remove any excess bacteria, then the corpse was set in a bed of more natron for around 35 days to preserve its body. After 35 days, the salt formed brown clumps on the top layer of the dead body’s skin so the priests poured tree resin over the body in order to seal it. Afterwards, they massaged it with a mixture which primarily consisted of cedar oil before wrapping the body in linen, they were then placed into special and expensive coffins alongside their human organ jars (canopic jars).

 

Mummification was also common among animals, especially cats. Ancient Egyptians sometimes raised their animals and killed them for the process of mummification, they usually acted as religious offerings as many Egyptian Gods were linked to animals for example: Anubis, Horus and Bastet. In the Egyptian religion, Egyptians believed that the body of a human was the most important gift given in their lifetime hence they wanted to preserve it forever. The most famous mummy is the one belonging to ‘Tutankhamun’, also known as ‘King Tut’ as he is the most famous Pharaoh of all time who ascended the throne at the age of 9. Many were able to afford this expensive process as Ancient Egypt was one the greatest and most powerful civilisations in the history of the world, with the Nile being a major source of Ancient Egypt’s wealth. The main reason that King Tutankhamun’s mummy is regarded as the most famous is most likely due to the fact that his encasing was made entirely from gold while others were not. His name means ‘the living image of Amun’; Amun was the name of an Egyptian deity who was considered as the king of Gods. This contributes to why King Tut is regarded a representative of Ancient Egypt.