Mummies

Why Mummies were made...People believed that a new life began when a person died. The mummy's soul, the ba, and his invisible twin, the ka, were released from the mummy's body and lived in a tomb. This is why the Ancient Egyptians built nice tombs. In order for a person to live forever, the ba (soul) and the ka (invisible twin) had to recognize the body or they could not return to it. That is why the body was preserved or mummified.People would cover the mummy with a mask that looked like the dead person so that the ba and the ka would be able to recognize it. People painted inside and outside of the coffin with gods and goddesses. They made jewelry and furniture that were buried in the tomb. They also used splendid stone to hold up the coffin. Statues of the dead person could also be found in the tomb.A collection of spells called "The Book of the Dead" was buried with the mummy. The spells were written on scrolls of papyrus. They were to help the dead find their afterlife. How an Egyptian Mummy was made... 1. First the undertakers cut open the body. 2. They leave the heart in the body, but they take out the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines. They place each of these organs in a canopic jar which is later buried with the mummy. 3. Next the body is packed in natron. Natron is like salt. After many weeks in natron, the body is all dried out. Now the body weighs much less. The skin in now like leather- harder and tighter. 4. The undertakers then tear fine white cloth into strips. 5. Then they wrap the strips around the body from head to toe. 6. After the mummy is all wrapped, the undertakers cover it with sticky sap from trees. 7. Once the sap is dried, the mummy is as hard as a statue.