mummies

Mummies By Debby

The Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead so the soul would not die. Ba was the personality. He had a bird body and a human head. Ka was the life source, and needed food and water.

Some mummies were naturally formed. This was because of the heat and dryness in Egypt. Mummies were soaked in natron for 40 - 70 days before the wrapping. Natron is a salt that absorbs water and kills germs. Before the wrapping, Egyptians took out the body fluids and stuffed the body with many things, including linen and papyrus. Then the Egyptians took out all of the organs except heart. This was because the Egyptians believed that the heart held the soul. The brain was considered worthless. The organs were stored in large jars. These jars were called "Canopic Jars."

Next, the mummies were wrapped in hundreds of yards of linen cloth. Then the Egyptians put mummies in cases and stored them . The pharaoh's bodies were put in a special stone case called a sarcophagus. The Egyptians believed this would keep the soul inside the body for the afterlife, and forever.

I liked the ways that the egyptians preserved every part of the body. Instead of just throwing the extra parts away.