Egyptian Mummification Process (Essay Sample)

THE EGYPTIAN MUMMIFICATION PROCESS
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OUTLINE
* Introduction
* The six features of the human being and mummification
* The Mummification Process
* Conclusion
* Bibliography
Introduction
Egypt is considered among the places on earth where civilization first began. Within this respect Egypt attracts archeological and touristic interests until today. One of the areas that continue to attract attention, especially among archeologists and scientists in general relates to how ancient Egyptian civilization handled the dead. Hence the mummification process that was believed to be extensively carried out by the Egyptians was a way of preserving the dead for after life. Understanding the Egyptian mummification process must therefore be approached based on the understanding that it was a preservation meant for after life. Hence Egyptian mummification was not just an ordinary burial rite by the Egyptians but was also a medicinal and religious procedure.
The mummification process in Egyptian was a common preserve for the rich and most powerful within the Egyptian society. Generally the mummification process was both long and expensive. The process was typically carried out by "three main people including the scribe, embalmer and the cutter”. The scribe’s role mainly focused on the incisions into the body. The cutter worked under the directions of the scribe during this process. Generally the mummification process was considered to be unclean and hence cutters were people of limited position within society. The embalmer belonged to the class of priests and he was typically concerned with the extraction of organs from the body. The presence of an embalmer makes the mummification process to have a religious connotation.[Jeffrey, Spencer. Death in Ancient Egypt. (London, England: Penguin Books, 1991),23]
The scribes according to Spenser were charged with the responsibility of overseeing the "incisions within the body”. They directed the cutter who would use sharp tools to cut the areas that were used to extract the internal organs and ensure that the cavity is stuffed with a special salt called natron. Because of the nature of work that was performed by the cutters, they were considered of a lower class in society because the work they performed was considered to be unclean. Apart from the cutter and the scribe the mummification also involved an embalmer. The embalmer was in the class of priests and he was particularly concerned with the removal of the internal organs that were placed in special jars alongside the embalmed body in the tomb. The fact that the embalmer was a priest reveals the notion that this was also a spiritual ritual.[Ibid ., 26]
The six features of the human being and mummification
Generally the Egyptians believed that portions of a person’s soul, the ba,would return to the body each night upon the death of a person. As such it was important to preserve the body because this process was considered to be crucial to the survival of the person’s soul in the afterlife. In relation to this belief therefore, the Egyptians assumed that there were six important features that make up a human being. Spenser asserts that these features included "the shadow, physical body, name, ka that was considered as the spirit, ba that represented the personality, and the akh that was the immortal aspect of a human being”. All these elements were considered to be important and their role in the well-being of the person was a conscious fact among the Egyptians. In fact each of these features was considered to be necessary in attaining a rebirth into the afterlife.[Ibid ., 28]
Therefore the person's name given at birth was believed to live for as long as that name was spoken. Considering the importance of a name, it was hence necessary to always protect the name. This would be attained by using a ‘magical rope that was believed to surround the name protecting it eternally.
Ka was similar to the spirit or a soul of the person. The An Egyptian Mummification highlights that "the ka was created at the same time as the physical body and these were made on a potters wheel by the ram-headed god, Khnum”. The kawas present in the physical world and also existed in in the tomb. Therefore it was belived that the ka had same needs that the person had in life. This included the eating and drinking. As such the Egyptians commonly left drink and food offerings as well as worldly possessions in tombs for the ka to use.[An Egyptian Mummification." An Egyptian Mummification/mummy.html]
The badescribed a person’s personality. Just like the person's body, each ba was distinct. Ba was carried in the breath that left the person after he died. Ba would freely transit between the physical and underworlds and was believed to take on different forms. The akh was a person’s feature that was believed to join the gods in the underworld. Hence akh was the immortal being and unchangeable. This feature according the ‘An Egyptian Mummification’ was believed to be invoked after death by using obituary text and spells, that were "designed to bring forth an akh”. After this ritual it was considered that the person was not going to die a second time a fact that would mean extinction.[Ibid .]
Hence according to Egyptian culture acomplete (whole) body was an essential part of anindividual's afterlife. Hence without a physical body there was no shadow, no name, no ka, ba, or akh. Therefore the mummification process was essential in not just ensuring preservation but preparing the body for a successful rebirth and transition to an afterlife.
The earliest Egyptian mummies researchers have found incidences where there occurred natural mummification. Generally Egyptians buried their dead in the sand. The extreme temperatures of the desert sand hence ensured that the corpses dried out naturally. Based on these discovery people sought to perfect an artificial mummification process. The embalmers would warp the mummies using linen strips. Shaw asserts that each limb was securely wrapped and "more emphasis on making the person appear life-like than preserving the body”. From the Fourth Dynasty, these embalmers started removing and preserving organs in a process that involved placing the organs into four alabaster or limestone ...