Mummification Process

Mummification Process

Mummification was developed by the ancient Egyptians to preserve the body for the afterlife. Typically, all internal organs are removed before mummification, except the heart. But in this case, the heart is removed, and the lungs are left intact. Next, the body is covered with salt and left for about 40 days, until all moisture is eliminated. Perfumed oils and plant resins are rubbed on the body. Thick layers of resin are applied to glue the strips of linen that were wrapped around the body. The mummy is placed on a wooden board and more wrappings bound them together. A mysterious pouch, perhaps of religious significance, is placed on the chest. A mummified ibis*, a wading bird with a slender, down-curved bill, is placed on the abdomen. Ibis mummies commonly served as votive offerings to the gods, but this is an unusual case of a bird being mummified with a deceased human. Long linen strips further secured the wrappings. Large linen cloth was wrapped around the mummy. The shroud is painted red with an imported lead-based pigment. This treatment is rare, very few red shroud mummies exist. Egyptian symbols of protection and rebirth are painted on the outer cloth with pigments and gold. After the mummification process is completed, if the person is a king, they are placed in three coffins, one of which is gold and the other wooden, and the 70-day mummification process is completed. 

*Ibis-The unusual covering of a votive ibis mummy—a shell of linen and plaster—reproduces the bird's long beak and head, with glass beads added for eyes. Millions of votive ibis mummies were dedicated in Egypt during the first millennium B.C.