11/12/2022 0 Comments Refined natron![]() The body was reasonably stiff but could still be posed. ![]() When successful, this experiment led to striking reproductions of the deceased’s appearance, but it could also result in severe distortion. Refined natron skin#During the 21st Dynasty, this impulse led to the effort to introduce material underneath the skin as well. Here, the purpose was only for appearances throughout the history of mummification, there was a desire to make the deceased seem more like a living person. When the body was dry, the interior was again washed and then various materials like cloth, dust and even sawdust were used to fill the body cavity. The body was then allowed to dry for about forty days. Internal use typically employed small linen sacks of natron placed inside the body cavity, while external use involved completely covering the corpse in a pile of natron. Natron was used both internally and externally to dry the body out thoroughly. The embalmers then washed the body cavity, and then laid out the corpse for drying. Either way, these organs were preserved for the deceased without being permitted to accelerate decay. In later periods they were wrapped and then placed back inside of the body. During the New Kingdom, the preserved viscera were placed in the tomb in four containers known as the Canopic Jars, each under the protection of one of the four sons of Horus. These were kept, and preserved separately. With the body opened, the embalmers then removed the stomach, intestines, liver, and lungs. One of the other embalmers painted a line for the incision on the left side of the body the lowly cutter used a flint or obsidian knife to make the cut, and then he was chased away. Although an important part of mummification, this was viewed as an act of violence upon the dead, and so, it was performed by someone with low standing, often someone who had previously been convicted of a crime. It is worth observing that the functions now known to reside in the brain were ascribed by the Egyptians to the heart, and there, every effort was made to preserve the heart in its natural place.įor the removal of the internal organs, the body had to be cut open. No effort of any kind to preserve the brain matter has ever been found, and it is believed that the brain was simply thrown away. A hook was inserted through the nose, breaking through the thin layer of bone behind it, and then fragments of brain were removed systematically, if not always completely. The body was then taken to another tent or temporary building known as the “wabet.” Here the organs that decayed the quickest were removed. ![]() Ritually, natron was considered an agent of purification. Natron is a desiccant that appears naturally in several places in Egypt, containing sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and typically some measure of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. It is likely that a small quantity of natron was dissolved into the water used in purification. ![]() This tent was erected near the burial place with good access to water. When the body was taken from the family for mummification, it was first taken to a tent known as the “ibu” for purification. On another level, the seventy days seem to have had the character of an official mourning period, with physical preparations beginning just a few days after death and burial being performed only at the end of this period. Supernatural purifications and protections of the body were considered essential to the satisfactory creation of the mummy. Officially, mummification took seventy days, with perhaps forty days being strictly necessary for the physical preservation the body. The ideal process of mummification might be considered the process employed for elite burials from the New Kingdom through the Roman period.Īs in nearly all other aspects of Egyptian society, it is impossible to separate ritual from the practical aspects of mummification. Moreover, different grades of mummification were offered,with the more perfect techniques being available for those who could afford them. ![]() There was not a single, unchanging system over the course of some three thousand years of history, the process of mummification was gradually refined, with occasional setbacks as well. The art of mummification is one of the great achievements of ancient Egyptian civilization. ![]()
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