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When a person had passed, their body would be part of the mummification process. The body would have been cleaned in the water of the Nile, then the body would have been washed with Natron, a salt that is produced near the Nile, as a preservative of the body for the afterlife. Once the body was cleaned, some of the organs of the deceased would have been removed and placed in Canopic Jars, which represented some of the Gods and their responsibility for that specific organ. The organs would be taken out in this order with these specific tools:
The brain with a hook through the nose
The stomach and intestines through a cut on the left side of the body
The lungs and liver through a cut on the side
The heart was left in the body for the God Anubis to weigh during the final steps of getting into the afterlife. The body was left to dry in the Natron for 40 days so the body would feel lighter and look darker. The natron bandages would have been removed and finally, the body is f wrapped in resin soaked cloth for the beginning of the afterlife.
Try these activities!
Try these activities!
Mummification Video game
Mummification Video game
This game was made by the Smithsonian Museum to show students the many stages of mummification and allows students to virtually perform the ceremony online! It is a great visual for students to know what to do, who is involved and why it is significant for the Egyptian civilization!
Mummification Banana Experiment
Mummification Banana Experiment
This website provides instructions on how to mummify a banana and what happens to it during the process, to show how the salt changes the body and makes it lighter. For those who like to do these activities with their hands, this is great for them! The instructions for this experiment are on page 13 of the document
https://www.britishcouncil.fr/en/schoolsonline/resources/science/bones
Mummification Questions
Mummification Questions
For those who prefer to answer questions, these are some questions you can ask your child once they have read this page and the resource pages on the resource tab:
What was the importance of mummification in preparing for the afterlife?
What were the key items needed for preserving the body?
How many canopic jars are there? Which God represented each canopic jar and why?
Which organ was left in the body? Why was this? What was placed over this body part as part of the journey through Duat?
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