Mummification in ancient Egypt was a very long and expensive process. From start to finish, it took about seventy days(70) to embalm a body. Since the Egyptians believed that mummification was essential for passage to the afterlife, people were mummified and buried as well as they could possibly afford. High-ranking officials, priests and other nobles who had served the Pharaoh and his queen had fairly elaborate burials. The Pharaohs, who were believed to become Gods when they died, had the most magnificent burials of all. In the case of a royal or noble burial, the embalmers set up workshops near the tomb of the mummy.
|
|
It was startling! More than 5,000 years ago, after burying their dead, the ancient Egyptians learned that the burning desert sands desiccated the corpses. Instead of turning to dust, the skin shriveled up and clung to the bones. Embalming, as practiced in ancient Egypt, was a lost art. Archaelogists retraced the steps of the Egyptian masters. |
So, let us take an amazing journey through the process of Mummification....