You Wish You Were an Egyptologist

VMFA opened their Mummy: “Secrets of the Tomb” exhibit this week, which I was able to preview last night. The experience was complete with a 3-d film surrounding the unraveling of the featured mummy named Nesperennub by the pathologists who studied the corpse using x-ray technology. I think we have all been mesmerized by the mysteries surrounding mummification and Egyptian beliefs at some point or other, but what gets me is all the time and energy that was poured into the deceased’s body by family and friends when “you can’t take it with you.”

Before ceremonial preparations could begin, the embalmer would begin by removing all “unimportant” organs, such as the brain with a metal prong through the nasal cavity. Next, the eyes, proving impossible to preserve, would also be removed and replaced by two metal or glass substitutes with which to see with in the afterlife. They would then move onto to the preservation of the more vital organs, in which the sons of Horus, the falcon god, were presumed to reside. These consisted of the intestines liver, stomach, and lungs. In order to reach these, the embalmer would cut a single square from the left side of the body and once the process was complete the incision would be covered with a metal plate, bearing the symbol of the wedjat eye, or the eye of Horus, considered to be endowed with healing powers for the arduous journey into the afterlife. The organs would then be placed into four corresponding canopic vases while the corpse dried. These would eventually be replaced to their proper places once the body had dried, along with four wax figurines that would safeguard the organs on their way to duat, or the netherworld. Once these painstakingly meticulous rituals had been completed, the embalmers would cover the body with a heavy layer of salts known as natron. The corpse would then sit idle for forty days in order for all the moisture to be absorbed by the salts.

The heart, the name, and the shadow of the deceased were considered to embody the person’s spirit entity. But the heart alone was thought to be the vessel where resided the “KA” (life force) and “BA” (personality) of the deceased and was protected by a heart scarab, inscribed with intonements which ensured that the heart did not betray its master when it stood judgment before Osiris. It was believed that the heart would be weighed against a feather upon a pair of golden scales and if the human were found to be guilty, the heart would then be devoured by a monster, known as Ammut, or “devourer of the dead.” A metal pectoral scarab would also be set over the chest, a symbol of the god Ra, as an added protection of the spirit. To complete the mummification process, the embalmers would anoint the mummy with precious oils and resin and move onto the opening of the mouth ceremony which was believed to reawaken the deceased and propel them into their new life. 

Of course this overview has merely scratched the surface of the many intricacies and scrupulous niceties that went into preserving an Egyptian cadaver, but that, my friends, is how you make a mummy.

.http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/Exhibitions/Mummy.aspx