Tombs and Mummies

The Egyptians believed in immortal life but it was not possible if the body were to decay.The poor Egyptians were buried in the sand while the rich ones were buried in a tomb. Although the body in the tombs would also decay so to avoid this the body was made into a mummy.

First a body is put onto a stone with a hole in it. Then the external organs are removed--such as the heart. Then the body is put in a salt dip and left there to dry. Once a corpse was dry it would be wrapped in twenty layers of lime. This took up to fifteen days--each layer being water proofed with resin. The brain was then taken out through the nose. The heart was weighed against a feather to see if it were evil or not. Amulets, good luck charms, were put in the grave for the next life.

And to ensure the person would get a good life after death, the mummy was placed in the tomb after many priest prayers.

If you want to read more about mummies and mummification (and other aspects of life in Ancient Egypt) go to this page from the Cleveland Museum of Art entitled Fact or Fiction: Life in Ancient Egypt.