Egyptian Mummification Discussion Essay Paper
Watch this lecture originally given at the University of Richmond by the renowned doctor and Egyptologist Bob Brier:
What did you learn that you did not know before about mummification?
Describe at least one aspect of the mummification process that was influenced by what Egyptians believed about the After Life.
Why were the directions for mummification never recorded?
Respond to another student
I learned that there are two types of mummification: artificial and natural. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as natural mummification, which is when the body is simply buried in the sand without any means of preservation. I also learned that sand quickly dehydrates the body so the body won’t decay when it is buried, and the ancient Egyptians used Natron (salt and baking soda) to preserve the bodies.
The Egyptians believed that one’s body was the home of its spirit, so if something were to happen to the body (it decaying), then the spirit would be gone. They believed that these spirits would live in an afterlife that is very similar to life on Earth, so they wanted to make sure that their bodies were well preserved. The directions for mummification were never recorded because, as Brier says, “that was kind of a trade secret,” meaning that it was only shared with those who practiced mummification.