Alongside the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, when we think of ancient Egypt, we immediately summon an image of an eternal mummy, swathed in bandages. Initially, it was the grave goods that accompanied the mummy into the afterlife that attracted the attention of Egyptologists. Howard Carter’s remarkable discovery of King Tutankhamun’s intact tomb triggered a frenzy of Egyptomania, which has rarely abated.
Since then, archaeologists have unearthed thousands of Egyptian Mummies. Tragically, many were pulverised and used for fertilizer, burnt as fuel for steam trains or ground up for medical elixirs. Today, Egyptologists understand the insights into ancient Egypt that can be gleaned from studying mummies.
Facts About Ancient Egyptian Mummies
- The first Egyptian mummies were preserved naturally due to the desiccating effect of the desert sand
- Ancient Egyptians believed the ba a part of the soul, returned each night to the body following its death, so preserving the body was essential for the soul’s survival in the afterlife
- The first X-Ray of an Egyptian mummy was in 1903
- Embalmers worked for centuries to perfect their art.
- Egypt’s New Kingdom represented the apogee of the embalming craft
- Late Period mummies show a steady decline in the embalming art
- Greco-Roman mummies employed an elaborated pattern of linen bandaging
- Members of the royal family received the most elaborate mummification ritual
- Egyptologists have discovered thousands of mummified animals
- In later periods, Egyptian embalmers often broke bones, lost body parts or even or concealed extraneous body pieces in the wrapping.
Ancient Egypt’s Changing Approach To Mummification
Early ancient Egyptians used small pits to bury their dead in the desert. The desert’s natural low humidity and arid environment quickly desiccated the buried bodies, creating a natural state of mummification.
These early graves were shallow rectangles or ovals and date to the Badarian Period (c. 5000 BCE). Later, as ancient Egyptians began burying their dead in coffins or sarcophaguses to protect them from the depredations of desert scavengers, they realised bodies buried in coffins decayed when they were not exposed to the desert’s dry, hot sand.
Ancient Egyptians believed the ba a part of a person’s soul, returned nightly to the body following its death. Preserving the deceased’s body was thus essential for the soul’s survival in the afterlife. From there, the ancient Egyptians evolved a process for preserving bodies over many centuries, ensuring they remained lifelike.
The royal mummies of several Middle Kingdom queens have survived the depredations of time. These queens from the 11th Dynasty were embalmed with their organs. Marks on their skin made by their jewellery is evidence their bodies had not been ritually embalmed when they were wrapped.
Egypt’s New Kingdom represented the apogee of the Egyptian embalming tradecraft. Members of the royal family were interred with their arms crossed over their chests. In the 21st Dynasty, looting of royal tombs by tomb raiders was commonplace. Mummies were unwrapped in the search for valuable amulets and jewellery. Priests re-wrapped the royal mummies and interred them in more secure caches.
The threat posed by tomb robbers forced changes in ancient Egyptian burial practices. Thieves increasingly smashed the Canopic jars holding the organs. Embalmers started embalming the organs, before wrapping them and returning them to the body.
Late Period mummies display a steady decline in the skills used in Egyptian embalming. Egyptologists have discovered mummies missing body parts. Some mummies were found to be merely disarticulated bones wrapped to mimic a mummy shape. X-rays of the Lady Teshat mummy revealed an errant skull concealed between her legs.
Mummies from the Greco-Roman period display further declines in embalming techniques. These were offset by improvements in their linen wrapping methods. Artisans weaved standardised bandages, allowing embalmers to use elaborate patterns in wrapping bodies. A popular wrapping style appears to have been a diagonal pattern producing recurring small squares.
Portrait masks were also a distinguishing feature of Greco-Roman mummies. An artist painted an image of the person while he or she was still alive on a wood mask. These portraits were framed and displayed in their homes. Egyptologists point to these death masks as being the oldest known portraiture examples. In some instances, embalmers apparently confused the portraits. An X-ray of one mummy revealed the body was female, yet a man’s portrait was interred with the mummy.
