Royal Mummification in Ancient Egypt
Methods of Corpse Preservation From the 18th to the 26th Dynasty
May 14, 2009
Religious beliefs also played a key role in how Egyptians readied themselves for the afterlife.
The Ba
A key element outside of the body that played a large part in the afterlife of an Egyptian was the ba. During the New Kingdom, representations of the ba became more common, as its role was increasingly recognized. During the New Kingdom it became popular to have a coffin shaped like the ba, which was most often represented as a human headed bird. The Egyptians used spells and prayers from the Book of the Dead to reunite the body and the ba. At night, the ba returned to the body until sunrise the next day. This is why mummification persisted. The ba could not be resurrected if the body did not survive. Therefore, the physical body of the deceased was vital in the afterlife and thus needed to be preserved well.
Mummification
The importance of the body and its resting place were crucial to Egyptian religious thought. The process of mummification, like the Egyptian religion, evolved and changed over the dynasties. In order to get the organs out of the body an incision was needed. During the New Kingdom the incisions were done diagonally instead of vertical. However, in subsequent dynasties incision practices changed again and included even more openings. During the New Kingdom dynasties those preparing the body would cover incisions with wax or a metal plate decorated with the wadjet eye. This represented the eye of Horus and it was meant to protect the wearer against evil by giving them the powers of the god. The method of stuffing also evolved, however this was not necessarily a step in the right direction, because in some cases the preparer was over enthusiastic resulting in mummies or parts of them splitting open.
Adornment
When it came to mummifying royals, they were prepared with expensive materials. One trend of mummification was trying to render the deceased as life like as possible. This was done a number of ways, such as placing linen with eyes drawn on them, over the eyes of the mummy. This trend continued past the New Kingdom. In fact, in the Third Intermediate Period they used different material to make the mummy look even more life like. For example, instead of using linen, glass or stone was used making the eyes look more realistic.
Decline in Decoration
Preparation for death was very expensive. At the end of the twenty-first dynasty quality of mummifying declined and painting or decoration of the bodies was abandoned#. Royals, no matter the dynasty, tended to be superior when it came to decorating their body, tombs and coffins. However, this does not mean afterlife preparation was reserved for royals only. All Egyptians prepared for death in their own way, with whatever means they had.
Source:
Ikram, Salima. “Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt”. (London: Longman) 2003.
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