step 1: announcement of death let the people know someone died a messenger was sent out to the...
TRANSCRIPT
Step 1: Announcement of Death
• Let the people know someone died• A messenger was sent out to the
streets to announce the death • This allowed for people to get
themselves ready for the mourning period and ceremony
Step 2: Embalming the Body
• Mortuary custom that involved the process of preserving bodies after death
• Usually they would use chemical substances to prevent decay
• Believed they would also cover the body in wine and rinse it with water
• Embalmers were located in special tents or buildings • These buildings were called embalming workshops or
“ibu” which meant “place of purification”• They were maintained by teams of priests• Often times during the embalming the priests would
have to step out because they could not stand the smell
Step 3: Removal of the Brain
• Always the first part of the body to be removed
• Egyptians did not know the purpose of the brain, so they thought it was a waste of space
• To extract the brain, a hook was inserted through the nose
• The embalmers pulled out as much as they could, and put it in water to dissolve
• Some believe the water was thrown out• Others think it was taken with the mummy to
the burial chamber
Step 4: Removal of Internal Organs
• Next to be removed are the internal organs: liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines
• Small slit was made on the left side of the abdomen, then the embalmers reached in and pulled out the organs
• Each of the organs was individually mummified, and stored in little coffins called canopic jars
• There were four jars canopic jars, one for each organ, and were protected by the four sons of Horus.
Step 4: Removal of Internal Organs
• Imset: Protected the liver. He had the head of a human.
• Ha’py: watched over the lungs. He had the head of a baboon.
• Duamutef: looked after the stomach. He had the head of a jackal.
• Qebehsenuef: looked over the intestines. He had the head of a falcon.
Step 4: Removal of Internal Organs
• Once the internal organs were removed, the inside of the body was washed out with palm oil, lotions, and preserving fluids
• The body was then stuffed with linen, straw, or other packing material to keep the general shape of the person
• Sometimes the embalmers were careless and either stuffed too much or too little
• This caused the mummy to look puffy or disfigured
Step 5: Drying Out Process
• The body was placed on a slab and covered with either nacron or natron salt.
• The slab was tilted so that the water would run into a basin, which removed moisture and prevented rotting
• The body was then taken outside and left to dry for about forty days
• After the body was completely dried out, the wrapping of the body took place
Step 6: Wrapping of the Body
• It was a painstaking process• It was anointed with oils, and a gold
piece with the Eye of Horus was placed over the slit in the abdomen
• Hundreds of yards of linen were used to wrap the body, and each toe and finger were wrapped separately
• Charms, amulets, and inscribed pieces of papyrus were placed between each layer of bandage
Step 6: Wrapping of the Body
• Egyptians believed that this charms had magical properties that would protect and bring luck to the body
• The Eye of Horus, the symbol of protection, was used often
• The wrapping process would be stopped every once in a while so that the priests could say certain prayers and write on the lined
• A final shroud was placed on the mummy to keep all the wrappings together
Step 6: Wrapping of the Body
• Mummia was added to the shroud to “glue” it all together ( that is where the word “mummy” comes from
• Sometimes false eyes were inserted and make up applied
• Then a painted portrait mask was placed over the mummy’s head so that the dead person’s soul (Ka) could recognize its owner
• The mummy was then placed into a painted decorated body
Step 7: Final Procession
• This was the last step and was where the family and friends of the deceased walked through the town on their way to the burial place
• Mourners were paid to cry so that the gods of the other world would see that the person was well loved
• The more the people who cried, the more he was loved, and the better chance he had of going to the after world
• Before the mummy was taken inside the tomb, a ceremony called the “Opening of the Mouth” took place
Step 7: Final Procession
• Opening of the Mouth:• Was performed by priests outside the burial chamber • This was one of the most important preparations • The family of the mummy recited spells while the
priests used special instruments to touch different parts of the mummy’s face
• The Egyptians believed that the mummy would not be able to eat, see, hear or move in the afterlife if the ceremony did not take place
• It was then laid in burial chamber along with all of his belongings, the canopic jars, and the Book of the Dead
• The Book of the Dead was not actually a book, but a collection of over 200 magic spells written on papyrus
• This book contained instructions on how to achieve eternal life, then the tomb was sealed
Step 7: Final Procession
• Weighing of the Heart:• The most important task to achieve immortality was nor actually
seen by anyone• The Egyptians believed that the most powerful part of the a person
was his heart• The heart was never removed from the body because it was
considered to be the center of the person’s being • In this ceremony, the gods of the underworld judged the mummy’s
heart, or how well he behaved during his natural life • Maat the goddess of truth, brought out her scale, on one side was
the mummy’s heart, on the other was the Feather of Truth • Anubis, the god of the underworld, made the final judgment, and
Thoth, the scribe god, recorded it all • If the heart balanced the feather, the soul of the mummy was
granted immortality• If the heart was heavier than the feather (if the sins outweighed the
virtues), the soul was doomed to a horrible fate• The heart was thrown to a monster called Ammit, or Devourer of the
Dead
