Mummification, in prehistoric times, was thought to happen by accident due to the lack of rainfall in Egypt. The dry sand and air preserved bodies that were buried in shallow sand graves. Mummification however, was practiced throughout most of early Egyptian history. It was around 2600 B.C. that the Egyptians intentionally began to mummify their dead. It is believed that the traditional method began with ?Isis, who mummified her husband, Osiris? (DiPaolo, M.S.) Burying the dead was a religious practice of the Egyptians. ?The Egyptians believed that the vital life-force was composed of several psychical elements?, with the most important element being the Ka (DiPaolo, M.S.) ?Ka is the part of the human being that defines personality and that survives life on earth after death?. (Sayre, 416) The Ka could not exist without the body, so preserving the corpse became imperative. Why did the Egyptians preserve the body? The Eg
The next step was to remove all the moisture from the body. This was done by covering the body with ?natron?, a salt with excellent drying properties? (Encyclopedia Smithsonian). Packets of the salt were also put inside the body. This resulted in a very dry but recognizable human form. The body was then stuffed with linen and other materials to make the body more lifelike. Fake eyes were also added so that the eye sockets were not sunken.
DiPaolo, Anthony C. M.S. Egyptian Burial Rituals
The Egyptians would duplicate the body of the dead to accompany the body throughout life and after death. Wood and stone replicas were put inside tombs in the event the mummy was destroyed. The greater the number of duplicates, the more c
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