Seventy days had to pass, from the day of death to the funeral, in order for the body to be properly embalmed. First, the brain was removed through the nose with a metal hook and then discarded. The lower organs, except the kidneys, were removed through a slit in the left side of the abdomen. Everything but the heart, ‘the seat of the mind’, was removed from the chest cavity. The internal organs were embalmed and packed in four canopic jars.
Make link to Canopic Jars – Religious/grave goods
The empty body cavity was stuffed with linen bags and the abdominal incision sewn up. The nose was plugged and linen pads or onions inserted under the eyelids. The entire body was then coated with molten resin to close the pores and protect the surface – this was the best method to preserve the body.
The last and final step was the bandaging of the whole body. The necessary amulets, which gave magical power to the deceased and protected him against evil, were included. After this the mummy was placed in its coffin and ready for burial.
Animal mummies Link to animal mummies in Iziko
Animals were also mummified as they were seen as sacred to certain gods and goddesses. The Egyptians did not worship the animals, but kept them in captivity as divine representatives of their gods. Therefore, these mummified animals were rarely pets.
The first known animal mummies were those of the bulls associated with the cult of Apis of the town of Memphis. Only one sacred bull at one time was kept at Memphis. When it died, it was mummified, and the bull mummy placed in a granite sarcophagus in the Serapeum (underground burial place of the bulls).
Other sacred animals like the baboon and ibis, both sacred to the god Thoth, and the falcon, also received underground cemeteries. Another sacred animal was the crocodile, sacred to the god Sobek. One of the most popular cults was that of the cat, sacred to the goddess Bastet of the town of Bubastis.
The spread of Christianity in the third century CE caused a decline in animal mummification as well as that of human mummification. The reason for mummification, like the writing of hieroglyphs, was then forgotten and remained a mystery until the ancient texts could once again be read in the 19th century.