When Egypt is mentioned, the first association is the pyramids and the pharaohs. The pharaohs were considered gods in ancient Egypt. In order to preserve their bodies, mummifications were performed.
Mummification is one of the most famous ways of burial and was most widespread in Ancient Egypt, although it has been noted that some other peoples performed body preservation in this way after death. Egyptian undertakers applied different methods of mummification in different periods, and we will mention here the classic method applied to Tutankhamun.
Shortly after death, the body of the deceased is taken to the undertaker, where it is removed and placed on a table, and then washed in a sleeping solution that serves as both soap and preservative. This is followed by the removal of the organs, which are placed in special vessels and buried later with the deceased. The body was then placed in sodium carbonate where it was spent for 40 days until it was completely dry, and then it was thus dehydrated washed and smeared with balms that prevented decomposition.
The last step of preserving the body was wrapping it in a cloth, which was a rather complicated process. The undertaker used various pillows, bandages, a large cloth and the like in order to restore the deceased to his previous shape, since the body was completely dried. A mask with a human face is finally placed on the mummy wrapped in this way and it is lowered into the sarcophagus. It is interesting to mention that the heart of the deceased always remained in the body because it was believed that after death he puts his heart on the scales before the divine court which decides whether he is just and worthy of eternal life. As a counterweight to the heart on the scales is Maat, the Egyptian goddess of justice, truth and cosmic order, who in this case is represented as a feather. If the feather prevails, the deceased does not get access to the afterlife.
