Ancient Egypt Mummification

OPENING OF THE MOUTH 'Opening of the mouth' tool The ancient Egyptians believed that in order for a person's soul to survive in the afterlife it would need to have food and water. A special ritual called the 'Opening of the Mouth' was performed so that the person who died could eat and drink again in the afterlife. This tool was probably used in an 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony like the one shown below.afterliferitual

OPENING OF THE MOUTH TOOL

Embalming the body First, the Pharoh’s body is taken to the tent known as 'ibu' or the 'place of purification'. There the embalmers wash his body with good-smelling palm wine and rinse it with water from the Nile.embalmers One of the embalmer's men makes a cut in the left side of the body and removes many of the internal organs. It is important to remove these because they are the first part of the body to decompose. The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines are washed and packed in natron which will dry them out. The heart is not taken out of the body because it is the centre of intelligence and feeling and the man will need it in the afterlife. A long hook is used to smash the brain and pull it out through the nose. decomposenatronafterlife

Hapy the baboon-headed god looks after the lungs. Duamutef the jackal-headed god looks after the stomach. Qebehsenuef the falcon-headed god looks after the intestines. Imsety the human headed god protects the liver.

The body is covered and stuffed with natron which will dry it out. All of the fluids and rags from the embalming process will be saved and buried along with the body. After forty days the body is washed again with water from the Nile. Then the skin is covered in oils.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the afterlife was very much like the Egypt that they lived in. Thus, there was a lot work to be done in the home and in the fields. afterlife Shabtis were small figures who would magically come to life and work instead of their 'master' or 'mistress' whenever there was work to be done in the afterlife. Some people had enough shabtis and 'overseers'(to keep the shabtis in order) buried with them so there was one for each day of the year.

Wrapping the mummy The arms and legs are wrapped separately. Between the layers of wrapping, the embalmers place amulets to protect the body in its journey through the underworld. This is the 'Isis knot' amulet which will protect the body. amulets

Isis knot

Plummet Amulet This is the 'Plummet' amulet which will keep the person balanced in the next life.

A priest reads spells out loud while the mummy is being wrapped. These spells will help ward off evil spirits and help the deceased make the journey to the afterlife. deceased

Priest reading spells

The arms and legs are tied together. A papyrus scroll with spells from the Book of the Dead is placed between the wrapped hands.

More linen strips are wrapped around the body. At every layer, the bandages are painted with liquid resin that helps to glue the bandages together.resin

A cloth is wrapped around the body and a picture of the god Osiris is painted on its surface

Finally, a large cloth is wrapped around the entire mummy. It is attached with strips of linen that run from the top to the bottom of the mummy, and around its middle. A board of painted wood is placed on top of the mummy before the mummy is lowered into its coffin. The first coffin is then put inside a second coffin. The funeral is held for the deceased pharaoh and his sorrowful family.

The early ancient Egyptians buried their dead in pits in the desert. The heat and dryness from the desert preserved the bodies and left life like and natural mummies.

Geography on Ancient Egypt Geography The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the 'black land' and the 'red land'. The 'black land' was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians used this land for growing their crops. This was the only land in ancient Egypt that could be farmed because a layer of rich, black silt was deposited there every year after the Nile flooded. The 'red land' was the barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides. These deserts separated ancient Egypt from neighbouring countries and invading armies. They also provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for precious metals and semi-precious stones.siltbarrenprecious

From around 3200 B.C. on, Egypt became a powerful centre of civilization in the ancient world, and exerted a powerful influence on the shaping of the history of Palestine.history of Palestine. Ancient Egypt geography was centred around the Nile River, and its civilization flourished as a result of the Nile's nourishment. So ancient was Egypt, that when Abraham fled the famine in Palestine, and crossed the Sinai into Egypt, the Pharaohs had been ruling for over a thousand years.

The geography of ancient Egypt is composed of two geographical regions, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, with modern day Cairo acting as the divider..

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CREATED BY: Thomas Fitzpatrick