Mummification: The Development of Mummification in the Pharaonic era
Usually, when the body is isolated from the earth and placed in a wooden sarcophagus or wrapped in clothing, it begins to decompose. If the body is not buried in dry sand, it begins to degrade. Instead, if the body is buried in hot sand, the hydrogenation begins and the sand absorbs the body's liquids, so the body dries. So the best mummification is the primitive mummification in predynastic epochs because the corpses were found in an excellent state of conservation.
With the beginning of the dynastic age, these corpses were wrapped and placed in sarcophagi. This isolation of the corpse from the sand caused the formation of bacteria and caused damage and degradation, especially because the brain begins to decompose after 8 hours of death. They tried to keep the corpse as much as possible. But the existence of jewels and funeral decoration with the corpse was the main reason to push the thieves to open the tomb and consequently open the sarcophagus. So the mummy could hear the air and be corrupted. Another reason for corruption is the existence of offerings because the offerings were decomposed and formed the fungi that corrupted the corpse.
The beginning of the mummification was in the third dynasty but practically all attempts failed until the beginning of the 18th dynasty, in these eras, the corpse was smeared from the outside with a layer of resin to preserve the shape of the corpse, but it happened or hydrogenation or internal combustion for the corpse and then it degraded, the resin could also stiff, then fractures occurred in the face or the body.
During the 18th and 19th dynasties, the ancient Egyptians had reached perfection in mummification. Mummification was made only for kings since it was very expensive, so after the 20th dynasty, it was very rare.
The Degrees of Mummification:
There are three grades for mummification, depending on the person being practiced. For the poor the process was simple: the intestines were removed from the body then the body was buried in the sand and is considered the best mummification to preserve the bodies. We remember an example for this type: the mummies of more than 70 soldiers who fought with King Montuhotep II and died in the battle. The king, in order to honor them, buried their corpses in the sand near his temple. As a result, the corpses were well preserved as if they were in a state of sleep and the wounds of arrows caused by the battle are seen. The corpses are not wrapped in clothes and have not been mummified. These mummies are exhibited in the Ashmolean Museum in the United Kingdom and in the Egyptian Museum of Turin, there is a corpse dated to about 11 thousand years in excellent condition.
The second type of mummification is the mummification of the rich and noble: a higher process was employed. The third type is the most elaborate; it is the real mummification or the mummification of the high state officials. It lasted 40 days and in which about 160 kilos of the Natron salt was consumed that was brought from the area of the Alkab and it was very expensive. The priests who worked in the mummification were 10 priests in addition to the tools and the funeral furnishings and all this was a very high cost.
For the resurrection in the afterlife, there were 3 things must be existed for the deceased:
Many offerings
Funeral furniture
A complete body
How was mummification performed?
Mummification was performed simply, immediately after death, before 8 hours passed from death. Otherwise, the brain begins to degrade followed by the rest of the body.
Mummification steps:
The body was washed well from the outside.
After this, the priests let a hook to the brain from the nose after breaking the bone of the nose. On this hook is wrapped a cloth, the priests turn the hook in the head of the deceased so they extract the brain into small pieces, to clean the cervix, sprinkle an acid substance into the nose of the deceased and shake the head of the deceased and insert from the bottom of the skull and throw away this liquid. It is worth remembering that the brain was not mummified.
With regard to the eyes, the eye liquid threw itself due to the breaking of the nose bone, and the empty eyes were rebuilt with quartz.
The sacerdoti opened the body with a مشرط scalpel from the abdomen and made a hole measuring about 10: 15 cm. The priests extract the intestines and the liver, the lungs and the stomach and all the apparatus of the body. Each apparatus is separated from the other. The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines were mummified and placed separately in four containers called" canopic vessels ".
The kidneys were left in the body because they are muscles and they do not degrade and were unattainable for the priests.
During the eighteenth dynasty, the heart was mummified and then was reported again to the mummy.
After finishing this operation, the corpse was placed in a large tank full of Natron salt brought from the area of Alkab. The body of the deceased was covered with salt in the shape of dry balls. The belly was filled with salt for a period of 35 days. In this period, the body of the deceased throws out all the liquids and the amino acids and the corpse decreased more and its color turned to the black color.
After 35 days, the corpse was cleaned from the salt, and the priests put bandages of salt and wrapped them in places of the body. Where there are folds like "the thighs, the respiratory canals, the pelvis", so they do not degrade.
Then the corpse was greased with the seven sacred oils that we do not know all but those known by archaeologists are: linseed oil, sesame oil, صنوبر pine oil, olive oil, in addition to henna ', and sometimes mint and lotus and cinnamon in the Roman era. we do not know how much it was put from these oils until the body softened, then the body was spread with henna 'from the inside and the belly was filled with the wood powder.
After this, the body was greased with a layer of resin. The resin is a rubbery material that resembles the Arab glue and when it boiled it resembled honey. The resin was sprayed on the body and when the body was dried, resembled transparent and solid glass, it was better than this the use of القار bitumen, which is superficial fossil oil, with which the body was greased, its only disadvantage is because it gives a black color to the corpse.
They cut the hair and the nails of the mummy. The head was smeared with a type of glue and they put again the hair, they made gold grapes for the fingers of the hands and feet.
The mummy was wrapped in linen bandages, about 200 m long. Each member of the body was bandaged separately, and the male organ was fixed with a piece of wood and with which it was tied. The fingers were tied separately, and the operation of wrapping the mummy took about 38 days. During this operation, they put the amulets. In case the deceased was the pharaoh, the arms were always crossed over the chest, while for the nobles the arms were placed on the sides of the body along the sides.
On the 39th day, the priests spread the mummy with a layer of lime from the outside to become an insulator for the mummy and on which religious formulas were portrayed to protect this body. The whole body was wrapped in a shroud "a mask" "representing the live face set with semi-precious stones, it was placed on the body of the mummy.
On the 40th day, the mummy was delivered, and the funeral was done on the 40th day.
There is no complete papyrus so far that explains the actual mummification but there is papyrus that explains the mummification of cats and bulls. The common diseases in the Pharaonic era were: dental diseases, diabetes, bilharzia, cancer, inflammation of the skin, children's disability and there were prescriptions of treatment.