Ancient Egyptian mummification developed over time. The first burials in the hot desert sands led to natural mummification of the whole body. Later, placing the body in a coffin meant that only the skeleton survived. Then the Egyptians learned how to artificially mummify the body before putting it in the coffin.

Early mummification was a natural process. The desert sand was hot and dry. Dehydration (drying out) preserved the whole body. Bodies placed in the hot sand dehydrated because the hot sand absorbed the water in the body.

The result is a natural sand-dried mummy. preserved skingrave goodsburial in sand

But bodies buried in the desert sands were at risk from wild animals. Munch munch… How could the ancient Egyptians protect the bodies of the dead? If animals attacked the bodies they would not be preserved and would not reach the afterlife intact.

So the Egyptians started to place the body in a coffin. Will this work? This is a skeleton (not a mummy). The soft tissue has rotted away. The whole body needed to be preserved for the afterlife. Why was the body not preserved? The hot dry sand could not reach the body to dry it out…..so the soft tissue rotted away.

To live forever, it was absolutely necessary to prevent the dead body from decaying, since the parts of the soul still had a need for it. Three of the more well-known forms of the spirit were the ba, the ka, and the akh. It was believed that the ram- headed creator god Khnum sculpted babies and all the parts of their souls from clay. The ba was the personality. It was shown as a bird with a human head- in particular, the head of the person to which it belonged. The ka was the life force, like our modern definition of a soul, and it looked exactly like its person. Sometimes a statue modeled after the deceased would be placed in the tomb with the mummy. These "ka statues" were something of an emergency back-up, to make sure the ka had a substitute body to belong to in case something should happen to the mummy. In addition to a recognizable body, the ka also needed food to survive. When Egyptians left food and water at the tomb, they were leaving it for the ka. The akh was represented by a type of bird called a crested ibis. At death, the akh flew to the stars to spend eternity in the heavens.

Oldest Mummy 'Ginger' is believed to be the earliest known ancient Egyptian "mummified" body, being Late Predynastic and dating to approximately 3300 BC. The body, which lies in a fetal position and is nicknamed 'Ginger' because of its red hair, is not internationally renowned despite being older than other more famous mummies, such as those of Rameses II or Seti I.

Mummification – Step 1 Purification of the body Ceremonial washing on the west bank of the Nile

Mummification – Step 2 A priest dressed in the jackal head costume representing Annubis chants over the body before the rippers remove the internal organs The organs would be saved in canopic jars!

Canopic Jars

The Brain The Brain was removed with a knitting needle like hook inserted through the left nostril. It was pulled out and discarded since the Egyptians felt the center of life was the Heart.

Mummification tools: Brain hooks Oil jar Funnel (replica) Embalmer's knife (Royal Ontario Museum )

Step 3 – Packing and Salting After the removal of the internal organs, every drop of moisture was removed from the body. The chest cavity was packed and the body covered in natron a natural salt. Natron: Sodium carbonate and Sodium bicarbonate

For forty days of the 70 day mummification process efforts were made to make sure all water was out of the body to prevent molds, fungus, and bacteria from growing. After 40 days the body was ready for the final processing

Plumping and Painting – Step 5 The shriveled blackened corpse was plumped up like a pillow after a nights sleep. The body was than covered with resin and painted. Red ochre for Men Yellow ochre for Women

Wrapping – Step 6 After being plumped and painted, the mummy was wrapped in the sacred linens of Osiris just as Isis had done. As much as 3850 sq. feet of wrap was used.

Wrapping took 15+ Days! Beginning with the head the body was wrapped in layers. Each layer was covered with resins to seal it.

Portrait Mask – Step 7 A red shroud is placed over the head and painted on it is a portrait of the dead person. In the New Kingdom, finely detailed wax masks and beautiful sarcophaguses were used.

Amulets of the New Kingdom Gold sheathing might cover the toes as it did on King Tut. Jewelry and Sacred amulets would be added at this time. Teeth would reattached or added Name tags would be place on the mummy

Burial – Step 8 After the 70 Day preparation process, actual burial would take place. A procession with professional mourners, food, family and priests went to the tomb. In the final step, the priest dressed as Annubis opens the mummies mouth. This awakens the senses and allows the soul to return to the body.

The coffins Once wrapped up you will need a good wooden coffin. The coffins should have pictures of Gods on them and lots of hieroglyphics. A nest of coffins will be placed in your tomb, inside a stone coffin called a sacrcophagus.

What a mummy needs for a blissful afterlife…. Have the wall of your tomb painted with pictures of you. Stock your tomb with food, clothes. Weapons, furniture and tools. It is the duty of your relatives to bring you gifts of food, so you don’t go hungry