What happened to people who could not afford to be mummified?

If they couldn’t pay for their preservation, their were buried in underground holes in the desert instead. The arid and hot weather worked to mummify them.

Why were bodies mummified in ancient Egypt?

They could think of no life better than the present, and they wanted to be sure it would continue after death. But why preserve the body? The Egyptians believed that the mummified body was the home for this soul or spirit. If the body was destroyed, the spirit might be lost.

How was mummification done?

The mummification process took seventy days. Special priests worked as embalmers, treating and wrapping the body. In later mummies, the organs were treated, wrapped, and replaced within the body. Even so, unused canopic jars continued to be part of the burial ritual.

Do people still get mummified?

Currently, it’s unclear how many people have actually been mummified by Summum but they seem to have the market monopoly. The decline in popularity of mummification is most likely due to labour, cost and logistics.

How did ancient Egyptians mummify their dead?

Ancient Egypt Egyptian Mummies. The methods of embalming, or treating the dead body, that the ancient Egyptians used is called mummification. Using special processes, the Egyptians removed all moisture from the body, leaving only a dried form that would not easily decay.

What does the word mummy mean in ancient Egypt?

The word mummy comes from the Arabic mummiya, meaning bitumen or coal and every Egyptian, except the most abject criminal, was entitled to be embalmed and receive a decent burial. The body was taken to the embalmers by the relatives, who then chose the method and quality of mummification.

When was the best time to preserve ancient Egyptian mummies?

The best prepared and preserved mummies are from the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Dynasties of the New Kingdom (ca. 1570–1075 B.C.) and include those of Tutankhamen and other well-known pharaohs. It is the general process of this period that shall be described here.

How was a person’s body preserved in ancient Egypt?

In ancient Egypt a person’s body was preserved as they believed that the soul (ba) and life force (ka) needed to have a physical base in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians spent a considerable amount of time and money preparing for their death.