Egyptian Mummification: It’s History, Purpose, and Process Essays

Egyptian Mummification Its History, Purpose, and ProcessThe report and tradition of Egypt is one of the most greatly studied and admired of completely past world civilizations. The lure of the pyramids and the specter of the sphinx have led umteen archeologists to dedicate his/her life to unraveling the mysteries of antediluvian patriarch Egyptian culture. Arguably, the most captivating nerve of Egypts past is that of mummification. Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead? What beliefs did the Egyptians have regarding the subsequently life? What portion of the Egyptian civilization was mummified? What was the Book of the Dead? This is a mere sampling of the questions that come to my mind when I think of ancient Egyptian culture. I hope to lay forth answers to these questions and many to a greater extent in the following pages dedicated to the history and purpose behind Egyptian mummification.Mummification, with its long, storied history, has allowed archeologists to peer into the daily lives and beliefs of ancient Egyptian middle-class and royalty. The put of mummification by the Egyptians seems to have started sometime before 3100 BC. However, lack of scripted evidence or significant physical proof from this Predynastic period is ready(prenominal) to either confirm or deny this. One of the oldest surviving mummies is Ginger, presently stored at the British Museum. Ginger was buried in a shoal grave and wrapped only in light cloth solely due to the hot, dry desert he survived intact to disco very(prenominal) in the late 19th century (Andrews 5). Gingers name comes from the food colour of his hair, fragments of which are still attached to his body. Evidence from his discovery supports the belief that even off at this early age the Egyptians believed in the afterlife. Tools and pottery we... ...ould be very thankful to the Egyptian people for leaving us this gift, which paints for us such(prenominal) a clear picture of their legacy.Works CitedAldred , Cyril. The Egyptians. tender York Thames and Hudson Inc., 1984.Andrews, Carol. Egyptian Mummies. Cambridge Harvard University Press, 1984.Budge, E.A. Wallis. The ma A Handbook of Egyptian Funerary Archaeology.2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 1925.Casson, Lionel. Ancient Egypt. impertinently York Time Incorporated, 1965.Editors of Time-Life Books. Egypt Land of the Pharaohs. Alexandria Time-Life Books, 1992.El Mahdy, Christine. Mummies Myth and Magic. New York Thames and Hudson Inc., 1989.Montet, Pierre. Eternal Egypt. New York The New American Library of World Literature, Inc., 1964.Peck, William H. Splendors of Ancient Egypt. Ann Arbor University Lithoprinters, Inc.,1997.