Transcript The Long Search for King Tut`s Tomb.

The first mummies were just dried out in the desert. The
ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the
desert. The heat and dryness of the sand dehydrated the
bodies quickly, creating lifelike and natural 'mummies'.
.
Later, the ancient Egyptians began burying their
dead in coffins to protect them from wild
animals in the desert.
Materials Used in Mummification
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Linen
Sawdust
Lichen
Beeswax
Resin
6. Natron
7. Onion
8. Nile Mud
9. Linen Pads
10. Frankincense
Imset protected the liver.
He had the head of a human.
Duamutef looked after the
stomach.
He had the head of a jackal.
Ha'py watched over the lungs.
He had the head of a baboon.
Qebehsenuef looked over the
intestines.
He had the head of a falcon.
Once the internal organs were removed, the
inside of the body was washed out with palm
oil, lotions, and preserving fluids.
Next the body was stuffed with linen, straw,
or other packing material to keep the general
shape of the person.
Sometimes the embalmers were careless
and either stuffed too much or too little. This
caused the mummy to look puffy or
disfigured.
These are the
mummified
remains of a
pharaoh named
Ramses II.
Wrapping the body was a painstaking process. It
was anointed with oils, and a gold piece with the Eye
of Horus was placed over the slit in the abdomen.
The Eye of Horus
Wrapping of the Body
Hundreds of yards of linen were used to wrap the body. Each toe and finger was
wrapped separately.
Charms, amulets, and inscribed pieces of papyrus were placed between each
layer of bandage. Egyptians believed that these charms had magical properties
that would protect the body.
The Eye of Horus, the symbol of protection, was used often. The wrapping
process would be stopped once in a while so that the priests could say prayers
and write on the linen. A final shroud was placed on the mummy to keep all the
wrappings together. Mummia was added to the shroud to "glue" it all together.
(That's where the word "mummy" comes from.)
Sometimes false eyes were inserted and make-up applied. Then a painted
portrait mask was placed over the mummy's head so that dead person's soul
(Ka) could recognize its owner. The mummy was then placed into a painted,
decorated coffin.
Journey to the Underworld
The dead travel
on the “Solar
Barque.”
A boat for the
journey is
provided for a
dead pharaoh in
his tomb.
The last step of mummification was the final
procession, where the family and friends of the
deceased walked through the town on their way to
the burial place. Mourners were paid to cry so that
the gods of the other world would see that the person
was well loved. The more people who cried, the more
he was loved, and the better chance he had of going
to the after world.
Before the mummy was taken inside the tomb, a
ceremony called "Opening of the Mouth" took place.
Opening of the Mouth
The family of the mummy recited spells while priests
used special instruments to touch different parts of
the mummy's face. The Egyptians believed that the
mummy could not eat, see, hear, or move in the
afterlife if the ceremony did not take place. After the
Opening of the Mouth ceremony, the dead would be
able to eat, breathe, see, hear, etc. in the afterlife.
The mummy was then laid in the burial chamber
along with his belongings, the canopic jars, and the
Book of the Dead. The Book of the Dead was not
actually a book, but a collection of over 200 magic
spells written on papyrus. This book contained
instructions on how to achieve eternal life. Then the
tomb was sealed.
Egyptian Book of the Dead
Weighing of the Heart
The most important task came after death. This was called "The
Weighing of the Heart." Egyptians believed that the most powerful
part of a person was his heart. The heart was never removed from
the body - it was considered the center of the being.
In this ceremony, the gods of the underworld judged the mummy's
heart, or how well he behaved during his natural life. Maat, the
goddess of truth, brought out her scale; on one side was the
mummy's heart, and on the other was the Feather of Truth.
Anubis, the god of the underworld, made the final
judgment, and Thoth, the scribe god, recorded it. If the
heart balanced the feather, the soul of the mummy was
granted immortality. If the heart was heavier than the
feather (if the sins outweighed the virtues), the soul was
doomed to a horrible fate. The heart was thrown to a
monster called Ammit, or Devourer of the Dead.
The Final Judgement
Anubis
Horus
Osiris
Judgment Day
Egyptian Mummies
Seti I
1291-1278 B. C. E.
Queen Tiye,
wife of
Amenhotep II
Ramses II
1279-1212 B. C. E.
Shabtis: The Pharaoh’s Servants
in the Afterlife
Walls made of
gilded wood
and inlaid blue
porcelain and
painted with
funerary
scenes.
Wooden coffin, human shaped, 7 feet 4 inches long.
Third coffin made entirely of gold
A royal Egyptian mummy had been found untouched.
“They who enter this sacred tomb shall swift be
visited by the wings of death.”
Lord Carnarvon
died 7 weeks
after entering the
burial chamber
giving rise to the
theory of the
"Curse" of King Tut.