Witness the images of the mummification of the Pharaoh Khufu. Mummification was an extremely important part of the ancient Egyptian belief system. In order to achieve passage into the afterlife, the soul needed to recognize the physical body, so they mummified the dead before burial. As we mummified the Pharaoh Khufu, we saw the steps taken to properly mummify a dead body.
1. Announcement of Death
2. Removal of brain: we inserted a wire hook up through the nose into the brain. We snagged the brain with the hook and removed it through the nose. We threw the brain away because the Egyptians believed the brain was a waste of space.
3. Removal of Organs. The "slitter" cut a hole in the left side of the stomach area. The slitter was then pelted with stones for he had defiled the human body and needed to be punished. The organs were then removed from the body and placed in canopic jars to be preserved with the body. The four organs: lungs, liver, small intestines, and stomach. To ensure a natural look to the body, the Egyptians then stuffed the empty body cavity with rags and straw to bring it back to it's natural appearance.
4. Drying out process. The body was covered with Natron Salt for about 40 days. This step sucked all the moisture out of the body and prepared it for wrapping.
5. Wrapping of the body. The body was wrapped from head to toe with hundreds of yards of white linen. The limbs were wrapped seperately, then the hole thing was wrapped together. The linen layers were held together with a substance called "mummia" which is a glue like substance. Within the layers of linen, golden amulets were played to protect the body into the afterlife.
6. Final Procession. After the mummification process was complete, the mummified pharaoh was brought to his final resting place and sealed in his tomb. For the Pharaoh Khufu, his final resting place was the Great Pyramid of Giza.
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