Momen Elmenshawy

Mummification in Ancient Egypt. Content Warning.

Another characteristic element in Egyptian civilization that has stimulated the interest of scholars was, without doubt, the unusual method of preserving corpses and transforming them into mummies, a technique that was believed to be divine in origin and was traced back to Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis. The term 'mummy' derives from the Arab word mumiya or mumyai which, according to Abd el-Latif a 12th century Arab traveller, meant 'bitumen' or 'mixture of pitch and myrrh' acompound much used in working with corpses and in which, in Europe too, there was a flourish- ing trade during the middle ages. In ancient times a distinction was made between natural and artificial mummies the former being those that had been preserved intact without having undergone any particular treatment. Indeed still today it is thought that the perfect embalming techniques used by the ancient Egyptians were responsible only as a secondary factor for the spectacular state of preservation of the corpses; the principal reason would appear to be the extremely dry climate of Egypt and the total absence of bacteria in the air and the sand. In any case, the mummification of the bodies took place according to a quite precise, and probably standardized, ritual. The body of the deceased was entrusted to the hands of specialists, who began the embalming by using a hook to extract the brain through the nostrils. The skull was then filled with a mixture based on liquid bitumen, which hardened as it cooled. The eyes were removed and later replaced with enamelled orbs. Using an extremely sharp stone, an incision was made on the left side of the body and the viscera were extracted.