Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-09-12
Ancient Mode of Embalming the Dead.

HerOdOtuS and DiOdorus tell of three
modes of embalmment prevalent in
Egypt. The first was very costly, an
swering to about $4,000, exclusive of
such gems, jewels, and gold as love and
prodigality might lavish upon the dead :;
the second, $500; the third within the
reach of all. As to the extent TO which
cerecloth to deck the dead, there is the
instance of the queen lately found at
Thebes, whose ornaments were shown
in our Exhibition of 1850. They are
now in the Pasha's Museum. Their
intrinsic value alone, that is, To break
up and melt down, i several thousand
pounds. IL i curious in reading the
two historians accounts of the Egyp-
tian embalmer to observe in divers mat
tiers the foreshadowing of the modern
undertaken in his ways. The different
degrees of woe were then as now
sounded according to the depth of the
purse. Just a. it is now, when the
furnisher will undertake for you any
gradatiOn of sorrow from the simple
elm coffin and pauper funeaal up to the
flourish and parade of plumed hearse,
weeping mutes and prancing steeds, so
with the Egyptian. Only the manner
was different. When bereaved
mourner, they tell Us, went into one of
these Egyptian shops, the functionaries
would show him different models in
wood highly and artistically finished,
or otherwise, 10 represent the mummy
and coffin. There were painted patterns
Of mummies i'm their multi-colored cases
to choose from. The various costs, ac-
cording to pattern, were then stated.
The customer chose his model, and
the bargain was struck. He then went
home and sent back the dead body, and
the body remained with the embalmer
until the whole process was completed.
The number of days requisite for EN-
balming was, as we gather from both
historians, seventy or seventy-two, and
this tallies with the Scripture account
Gen. !. b; for doubtless the immediate
process only occnpied part of the time,
the rest being given to the ritual of
mourning. The processes for embalm-
ing are related very categorically. In
some things they hardly commend
themselves 10 our present sentiment of
what is respectful to the dead. The
chief secret seemed to consist in certain
chemicals injected into the veins and
body; in certain washings and sleep
ings in natron, and in the filling-up of
the cavity of the body with myrrh and
other balsamic substances and spices.
The brains were drawn out through the
nOstrils. Sometimes the face and hands
were gilt. Certain jewels were laid on
the breast under innumerable swath-
ings of linen. And then kind of
pictured shell received the body-a sort
of close-fitting case made 10 open and
shut lengthwise after the fashion
of violin ease. But when the
mummy was sent hOme-what then ?
The family did not Immediately part
with il. On the contrary, they often
kept their dead relative for a long
while, guest in his own house. \ room
was set apart. The mummy, standing
upright as in life, was enshrined in a
kind of painted cabinet-a tabernacle
starred over with innumerable hero
glyphics, and protected with great
painted scarabei and multi-colored
cherubim, with their overshadowing
wings spread athwart the chest. Hither,
then, at intervals, the family would
come to hold communion with the
dead. They would bring fresh lotus
flowers to enwreath their silent rela-
tive, or strew about the ground bios
SONS of asphodel and papyrus. Num-
berless paintings in the tombs of Egypt
picture this affecting scene-a mother
and her children kneeling in a circle
with the dead in their midst, or wife
with plaintive face and dishevelled hair
embracing the placid-looking mummy