Egyptian Mummies:
Ancient Egyptians Hoping for a Second Chance
Preserving the dead as Egyptian mummies was one way they ensured the continuation of life. It was not some morbid fascination with death, although it could seem that way.
On the contrary, the ancient Egyptians hoped for resurrection and an eternal afterlife in the Egyptian Heaven.
Keeping the physical body preserved, and providing the deceased with materials necessary for the long journey, was how the mummy came to be.
Of course, I'm not sure being preserved in a museum is what they had in mind. And the fact remains that by uncovering tombs and unearthing bodies, we are kind of desecrating the dead. But there was no other way to find out so much about the ancient Egyptians...
...besides, isn't being remembered one of the ways you can live forever?
By Sand or By Hand?
Unfortunately for many, the afterlife heavily depended on the funerary budget. Affording a tomb and a proper
Egyptian mummification process
was kind of difficult on a farmer's salary. And without those, the chances of a prolonged afterlife were greatly diminished.
And not only were the tombs painted and embellished - but they were packed with foods, drinks, pets, clothes and treasures... all to make the journey more pleasant.
And so, Egyptian mummification was mostly for those that were rich or noble in life.
The poorer individuals were buried in the sand, which did a surprisingly good job of preserving their bodies too. So, Egyptian mummies are now split into two categories - those who were naturally preserved, and those who were mummified by a man-made process.
Show Me the Money... Mummy!
The fact that the tombs of the rich and elite were filled with treasures gave rise to quite an aggressive period of tomb-robbery. So many precious pieces of history were destroyed and stolen in the early 20th century.
Tomb robbers were not the only problem. The truth is, even the early scientist and archeologists working to uncover the mysteries of Egypt were not very experienced with mummies. They may have unintentionally destroyed important artifacts.
One of the first man-made mummies, that of King Djer, was found completely deteriorated except for an arm. And as that arm was beautifully decorated with jewelry, the jewelry was taken for a museum display while the mummified arm was thrown away.
Egyptian mummies were also sold by the hundreds for different purposes. Some were ground into powder and sold as medicines. Some were stripped of their wrapping that was used to make paint for artists. Some were sold to aristocrats as a centerpiece for unfolding during high society gatherings.
Even mummified Egyptian cats were sold as fertilizer.
Afterlifestyles of The Rich and Famous
The Pharaohs usually being the richest, most powerful and most famous of Egyptians, had elaborate tombs and many of their mummies are still well-preserved.
The most popular of which is King Tut (image on the left), but there are a few other very famous mummies.
Click here to meet some of the most famous ancient Egyptian mummies, and to read about the infamous curse of the mummy.
Since, to the ancient Egyptians, the social structure and the division of classes were maintained in the afterlife – the Pharaohs held on to their God status. And so a common practice was the defacing of Royal tombs by rival successors.
Queen Hatshepsut was a victim of tomb desecration. Fortunately though, her successor replaced her name with his own on the monuments she built, instead of destroying them completely.
But even after being robbed, sold, studied, exhibited, poked at, ingested, and God knows what else - Egyptian mummies still hold the respect and admiration of all of us. They capture our imaginations time and time again.
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