The%20British%20%20Museum%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Ancient%20Egypt:%20Mummies

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Ancient Egypt The story of mummification
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Ancient Egyptian mummification developed over
time.
The first burials in the hot desert sands led to
natural mummification of the whole body.
Later, placing the body in a coffin meant that
only the skeleton survived.
Then the Egyptians learned how to artificially
mummify the body before putting it in the coffin.
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Early mummification was a natural process.
Bodies placed in the hot sand dehydrated because
the hot sand absorbed the water in the body.
The desert sand was hot and dry.
Dehydration (drying out) preserved the whole body.
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The result is a natural sand-dried mummy.
preserved skin
grave goods
burial in sand
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But bodies buried in the desert sands were at
risk from wild animals.
Munch munch
If animals attacked the bodies they would not be
preserved and would not reach the afterlife
intact.
How could the ancient Egyptians protect the
bodies of the dead?
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So the Egyptians started to place the body in a
coffin.
Will this work?

• This is a skeleton (not a mummy).
• The soft tissue has rotted away.
  
• The whole body needed to be preserved for the
  afterlife.
  
  
  

Why was the body not preserved?

• The hot dry sand could not reach the body to dry
  it out
• ..so the soft tissue rotted away.

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Artificial mummification
The ancient Egyptians realised they needed to
mummify the dead bodies artificially before they
placed them in the coffin.

• they artificially dehydrated the body and the
  internal organs
• they wrapped the body in linen bandages and
  placed it in a coffin
• the put the organs in canopic jars
• and put the coffin, canopic jars and grave
  goods into the tomb.
• This process was very expensive so over 95 of
  the population were buried in the sand and ended
  up like the first natural sand-dried mummy.

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• Find out more about ancient Egyptian mummies
• Visit the main Museum website
• www.britishmuseum.org
• Use Explore to look at some of our mummies
• www.britishmuseum.org/explore/introduction.aspx
• Learn more about mummification
• www.ancientegypt.co.uk