Facts about MUMMIES

• When were Ancient Egyptians started making mummies ?

                                 Ancient Egyptians started making mummies around 3400BC.

• In 2600BC ancient Egyptians finally figured out that if they took out the body's internal organs, the mummies would last instead of rot. 

• The ancient Egyptians were not the first to make mummies. People in South America did it first.Mummies were not always wrapped up in the same position. Most royal males, however, were positioned with their arms crossed over their chest.

• Some mummies were damaged by robbers in ancient times, and had to be re-wrapped and moved to new tombs.

• The best made and preserved mummies are from the 18th to the 20th Dynasty - circa 1570-1095 B.C. - and include Tutankhamen. The mummy making facts below refer mostly to this period.

• Mummy making was a big production! It employed a lot of people: embalmers, cutters (surgeon), priests and scribes.

•  Here, 7 steps to make a mummy:

                           The body was washed and purified.
                           Bodily organs were removed.
                           The body was filled with stuffing.
                           The body was soaked in natron salts to dry it out.
                           After 40+ days, the stuffing was removed and replaced.
                           The body was wrapped in linen strips.
                           The mummy was shrouded and placed in a sarcophagus.