The word 'mummy' comes from a misinterpretation of the process. Poorly
embalmed bodies (from the Later DynastiesPeriod) are often black and
very brittle. It was believed that these had been preserved by dipping
them in bitumen (tar), the Arabic word for bitumen being mumiya.
There are many modern techniques for preserving a body (freezing,
pickling etc); however, these were not available to the ancient Egyptians.
The only method they were aware of was by drying the body out in the
hot sand. This left the body looking most un-lifelike, and not a very
suitable home for the 'Ka'. Also not a very reverent way to treat
your Pharaoh. The answer came from the Nile.
The Nile floods every year. Without it Egypt would be
no more than a desert with a river going through it. The flooding
brought with it essential silt which made the land fertile. when the
waters subsided, it left pools of water behind which dried out in
the sun.
Once the water had evaporated it left behind a white
crystalline substance called natron. The most notable thing about
this substance is that it is highly hygroscopic: it will draw and
absorb moisture. During the Old Kingdom, Queen Hetepheres' internal
organs were removed and placed in a solution of natron (about 3%).
When the box was opened it contained just sludge, which was apparently
all that remained of the Queen. Early attempts at mummification were
total failures. This was recognised by the embalmers and so they took
to preserving the shape of the body. They did this by wrapping the
body in resin soaked bandages. They became so good at this that one
example from the 5th Dynasty of a court musician called Waty, still
holds details of warts, calluses, wrinkles and facial details.
In this New Kingdom, coffins changed shape from the
Middle Kingdom rectangle to the familiar mummy-shape with a head and
rounded shoulders. At first these were decorated with carved or painted
feathers, but later were painted with a representation of the deceased.
They were also put together like Russian Dolls, in that a large outer
coffin would contain a smaller one, which contained one that was almost
moulded to the body. Each one was more elaborately decorated than
the one larger than it. It is from this time that most mummies have
survived.
The soft tissues like the brain and internal organs
were removed. The cavities were washed and then packed with natron,
and the body buried in a pile of natron. The intestines, lungs, liver
and the stomach were preserved separately and stored in Canopic
Jars protected by the four "Sons of Horus": Duamutef
(stomach), Qebhsenuef (intestines), Hapy (lungs), and Imsety (liver).
Such was the perceived power of these jars that even when the 21st
Dynasty started to return the organs to the body after preservation
instead of using the jars, the jars continued to be included in the
tombs.
