Learn more about Ancient Tomb Rings and the art of Engraving
The Mummification Museum, Luxor, Egypt opened in 1997 and gives today's visitor a detailed idea about the mummification process, the Ancient Egyptian concept of judgement & the afterlife and shows us some objects associated with mummification. The word mummification is derived from the Persian word mummiya, which means bitumen in Arabic and gives us the word mummification. A visit to the museum starts with scenes copied from original papyruses like Ani and Honfr, which are at the British Museum.
Judgement
The Ancient Egyptian believed that they will pass into the judgment hall immediately after the death and mummification. On arrival there would be a balance or scale where the heart of the deceased was weighed against a feather, which was symbol of truth. The Ibis headed god, Thoth holds a reed pen and scribes palette to write down the result. If the heart was heavier than the feather then the deceased was guilty. If the heart was equal with the feather he will pass in safety to paradise ruled by Osiris.
So the most important scene from the papyrus is the judgment hall. We see the weighing of the heart on the scales. On one side of the balance we see his heart in a pot and on the other side we see the feather of Maat, symbol of the truth; if they balanced it meant he was not guilty. The deceased then passed safely to paradise. There he appears dressed in white linen, on a white sand island. He then goes to great lake which is in the middle of the fields of the peace; there the Gods sit and give him bread and food of life to eat. We then see Ani making offerings to the Gods, paddling a boat, handling oxen which tread the corn and an adoring benu bird (Ani 1250 B.C.).
If the deceased was guilty he will be sent to the lake of the fire which had four jets to absorb the blood of the criminals.
Then we see the burial scenes including the funeral procession. The men are carrying the funerary furniture, including all the equipment of the deceased, into the tomb. This scene is copied from the tomb of Ramose on the West Bank of Luxor.The sarcophagus is on a sledge; women with loose hair are putting dust on their head. The funerary boat will carry the mummy to the west bank to be buried.
There are two goddesses with the mummy. Isis the mother of Horus and wife of Osiris who collected his body after Seth had killed him and scattered his body throughout the land of Egypt. Nephytys is the mother of Anubis, wife of Seth, sister of Isis. These two ladies were considered important protective Goddess with great magical skills.
The most important funerary ceremony was the Opening the Mouth which was performed by the high priest with a setp tool. When the priest or relatives speak his name, the Ba returns to his body and can enjoy the offerings. The Ancient Egyptian believed that the "Ba" spirit comes holding the shen, symbol of eternity. Anubis protects the entrance of the burial chamber. Anubis mummified the body of Osiris with the help of four sons of Hours. For this reason Egyptian religion gives Anubis many titles e.g. the God of Mummification who Protects the Deceased. Osiris was father of Horus, brother of Isis, Nephytys and Seth, and son of Geb and Nut. He is the first body who was mummified by Anubis, the first who was raised to the second life, he became lord of the judgment hall and god of death, at this time he was the most famous God of Egypt.
Mummification
Mummification took place over 70 days and was presided over by the embalmers (High Priests) who were responsible for the mummification operation.
Firstly they transported the body of the deceased to the Mummification House (pr nfr).
During the first 15 days the body washed and had its organs removed. Inside any main temple e.g. Karnak, there was sacred lake which was used for the cult purposes and the daily use of the priests. It was also used to wash the body of the deceased which was then dried using natron salt. Then they placed the body on the operating table to extract the brain and viscera. They broke the ethmoid bone at top of the nose with a chisel. This gave them access into the skull cavity and they cut the brain into small pieces using the spatula and picked it out with a spoon. They made an incision in the left hand side of the abdominal cavity, which was about 10 cm long. Through this they removed the viscera. Various tools were used in this process, which are shown in the museum. Scissors were used during the cutting of the viscera from abdomen. The cutter was used to extract the viscera.
The viscera were mummified separately and put into four canopic jars, often alabaster. They wrapped the viscera in a linen bandages.
The four sons of Horus, in the form of mummies, stand guard over the viscera:
Imsety has human face and protects the liver.
Duamutef has jackal's head and protects stomach.
Hapy has baboon's head and protects lungs.
Qebekh-sennuef has a falcon's head and protects the intestines.
They put the temporary stuffing in the abdominal cavity of the body (linen bags, spices, myrrh, resin, sawdust, and cassia) and they covered the body with natron salt for 40 days to absorb the moisture. This was changed regularly and it was in small bags to enable easy removal.
In the last 15 days they removed the salt and changed the temporary stuffing with fresh stuffing. They covered all of the body with resin to protect it against bacteria and to keep it in a good state of preservation. They anointed it with cedar oil. The mouth and the nose were sealed with linen and molten resin, the body was wrapped with linen and bandages. They wrapped the body with 38m.of linen making 375 bandages. Between each layer they put an amulet. A scarab was put next to the heart and the deceased asked his heart not to say anything bad against him during the judgement. They drew on it Osiris god of the dead. They covered the head and shoulder of the mummy with a mask. After that they put the wrapped body in a wooden coffin and then in a stone sarcophagus.
The last part was a ceremony conducted by the high priests called the Opening of the Mouth. Using the setp tool to touch the mouth of the deceased they gave him the gift of eternal after-life and he is able to receive offerings.
The mummification process reached to the golden age during the 21st dynasty. In that period they cut an incision under the cheek and filled them with stuffing making them very life like.
The Ancient Egyptian believed that death means separation of the spirit from the body. The spirit then returns to the body and gives the deceased life again in the underworld. The name of the deceased was carved on the wall of the tomb so it would be said forever by any visitors to the tomb.
Medical Tools
These were the medical tools used by the embalmers.
Scissors: used to cut the end of the viscera from abdominal cavity, made from bronze 17th dynasty from Thebes.
Chisel: used to break the ethmoid bone, made from bronze.
Spatula: to remove and cut the brain, made from bronze.
Cutter: used to cut the viscera, made from bronze. The big one is from Abydos and the small one from Saqqara 18th dynasty.
Tweezers: made from bronze from Talbasta. From the Roman period and used to separate the viscera.
Puncher: from Qurna - used to make incision in the bone, made from bronze.
Needle: used for sewing the incision in the body, made from bronze from Talelgorab 19th dynasty.
Spoon: used to remove the brain.
Forceps: to separate the viscera.
Mummies
Mummy of a fish.
The ancient Egyptian believed that the fish represented rebirth, its cult centre was Esna and it is called Lattee fish.
Mummy of baboon
Representing the god Thoth, God of knowledge he was always present in the judgement hall standing by the balance holding the scribes palette and reed pen to record the result of weighing of the heart of the deceased.
Mummy of a cat
The animal of the goddess Bastet lady of Bubastis where magnificent temple was built for her, she was a daughter of Atum, she gives the power health joy.
Mummy of ram
The animal of the god Khnum, his cult centre was at Elephantine.
Objects
Ushabti means "I answer" and these objects can be made from gold, wood, faience or pottery. It is in the tomb to do the work for the deceased. Maybe in the afterlife the king asked him to fill the canal with the water, carry the sand from the west to the east. Then the figure has tools and replies "here I am ready".
The Djed pillar amulet is a symbol of stability and representing back bone of God Osiris. Legend has it is the cedar tree which kept the heart of Osiris inside it. It also represented the columns which supported the heaven.
The head rest was used it to protect the neck and it carries the name of the deceased.
The coffin consists of three parts. The lower part contains the mummy lying inside. The mummy lid takes the shape of the deceased. The coffin lid which showed the Gods of the Underworld, the 'ba', the Djed pillar, Nephytys with wings outstretched, Nephytys with sons of Hours and all are protecting the deceased.
The beautiful mummy cover of Padi Amun: the high priest of Amun has a beautiful wig. The goddess Nut with wings, representing the sky is shown receiving the deceased in the after world. There is also the gatekeeper representing the rebirth. The cover is full of the bright colours and the mummy has a handsome face with bright eyes.
The mummy board of Masaherti does not have a face or hands because the thieves that found it took the golden face and hands. Discovered 1871-1881 and it represent the deceased with the different gods e.g. Nut with her wings at the end of the cover and the four sons of Horus. The name and titles of the deceased appear on the cover.
The remains of mummification's liquid: the Egyptian Expedition discovered the tomb of Amon-tef-nakt from 27th dynasty He was a General in the Army against Persians when he died. The embalmers mummified him and left all materials of mummification in the sarcophagus, the liquid came from result of the interaction between the mummification materials and the body.
The latest addition to the museum is the so called 'Embalming Bed' from the tomb of KV63 and two pillows. This bed was found disassembled in several storage jars and was reassembled and put on display in the most appropriate home. Its open structure leads one to think that it was used for bandaging or some other part of the mummification process. The little lion heads are particularly fine.
Jane Akshar is an Egyptologist and lives in Luxor, Egypt. If you want to see any of the sites mentioned in the article and enhance your holiday in Egypt, please visit her accommodation and Luxor tours website Flats in Luxor
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