| I |
After the body had been washed with wine and
spices, all of the parts that might decay were removed. The
embalmers first removed the brain through the nose using a long
hook. Next they made a deep cut in the abdomin and took out the
internal organs: the lungs, the stomach, the liver and the
intestines. |
| II |
The body was stuffed with bundles of strong drying
salt called niton. It was then completely covered with natron and
placed on a slanted couch so that any fluids that dripped out as the body
was drying could be collected and buried along with it. |
| III |
While the body was drying, the internal organs
were also dried and preserved with natron. They were then wrapped in
strips of linen, placed in tiny coffins and put in a chest divided into
four compartments. Each compartment had a lid with the face of the
pharaoh. |
| IV |
After 40 days the body, now completely dry and
shrunken, was removed from inside the body cavity and the whole body was
washed inside and out with olil and fragrant spices. |
| V |
The mummy's head and body were packed with linen
soaked in scented oil so that they would regain the shape they had in
life. Once this was done, the mummy could be covered with necklaces,
rings and bracelets made of gold and gems. |
| VI |
The entire body was then covered in shrouds and
bound with strips of linen unitl the mummy had returned to it's original
size. This was a complicated job and could take as long as a
week. Small magical objects were placed between the layers of
wrapping to protect the mummy's spirit on its way to the
afterworld. |
| VII |
After the wrapping was finished, the head of the
mummy was covered with a portrait mask, just to make sure that the spirit
would recognize it. The masked mummy was then placed in a series of
gilded wooden coffins and put into a
sarcophagus. |
The ancient Egyptians believed that
after death their bodies would travel to another world during the day, and at
night they would return to their bodies. In order for the person's spirit
to live forever, it had to be able to recognize and return to the body. If
a spirit could not recognize the body it belonged to, it would die. This
is why the Egyptians wanted to preserve the bodies of the dead in as lifelike a
state as possible. Mummification guaranteed eternal life for the
spirit.