Tours: The Importance of Mummies

Understand the importance of mummies for ancient Egyptians.
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|-|Who Are The Embalmers?=
The first hieroglyph for embalmer appeared in pyramid texts of the .
It is likely that embalming was a trade that progressed alongside the evolution of ancient Egyptian funeral practices.
While we still know nothing of how embalming came to be a profession, we do know that embalmers had a hierarchy, and that each embalmer specialized in a specific phase of the mummification process.
|-|Secret Techniques=
The mummification techniques were jealously guarded by embalmers from generation to generation.
Despite their efforts, Herodotus and Diodorus discovered their methods in late Antiquity, but historians were sceptical about the validity of the texts.
It remained a mystery until two teams of modern medico-legal scientists confirmed the process in 1994, and again in 2011.
|-|The Ouabet=
The ouabet, meaning the pure place, was where the embalmers mummified the bodies of the deceased.
Until the end of the , it was located in tents at the edges of the city due to the smell of decomposition. In the , however, the ouabet was located within the city limits, though stillin open-air spaces.
In the same way that the practices and techniques of mummification evolved, so possibly did consideration towards embalmers within ancient Egyptian society.
|-|Embalming & Social Status=
The pharaoh had access to the most elaborate of mummification rituals. The richer citizens of Egypt also enjoyed complex embalming options, though none of them allowed for the removal of the brain or viscera.
After purifying the body, embalmers injected a liquid through the rectum, sealed it, and allowed the mixture to settle. They then plunged the body into natron for up to forty days.
Once the body was dried the seal was removed, and the entrails flowed out with the injected liquid, leaving the skin and bones of the deceased to be wrapped in linen and returned to the family for burial.
|-|Simpler Methods=
The least costly embalming option was for the embalmers to simply inject a product called surmaia, and immerse the body in the natron for up to forty days before handing it over to the family.
For all those who could not afford any embalming process, desert burials offered a pauper's alternative to preserve the bodies of the dead.
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|-|Mummies in Western Civilization=
Egyptian civilization has always appealed to Westerners, even before the Greek and Roman invasions.
As early as the Middle Ages, mummies discovered by travelers were often sent back to Europe. Curio cabinets dating from the 16th and 17th centuries usually included pharaonic artifacts in their collections.
|-|The Egyptomania Phenomenon=
The Egyptomania phenomenon was heralded by Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign, which lasted from 1798 to 1802.
The following years were marked by a resurgence of interest from rich enthusiasts and scholars, who exposed Egypt to the general populace.
Many research societies focusing on Egyptology were founded during those years.
|-|The Desecration of Mummies=
By 1868, mass tourism began in Egypt, under the aegis of the Cook agency.
The rich would indulge in Leisure trips to Egypt, and bring back mummies. Upon their return, they would organize evenings that consisted of unpacking mummies, and removing strips of linen and amulets layer by layer. These were considered the shining cultural events of the season.
The Egyptian collections of many a museum were founded as a consequence of this mass pillaging.
|-|The Mummy Malediction=
Thanks to those dubious parties, the fantasy of a mummy coming back to life seeking revenge on its defilers was born.
The mummy malediction myth has remained steady in popular culture ever since, particularly in written media and cinema.
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Category:Discovery Tour: Ancient Egypt