3. The Purpose of Egyptian Mummification
§ In
order
for
the
person’s
spirit,
or
ka,
to
live
forever,
it
had
to
be
able
to
recognize
&
return
to
the
body.
§ If
a
spirit
could
not
recognize
the
body
it
belonged
to,
it
would
die.
§ This
is
why
the
Egyptians
wanted
to
preserve
the
bodies
of
the
dead
in
as
life-‐
like
a
state
as
possible.
§ Mummification
guaranteed
eternal
life
for
the
spirit.
4. The Mummification Process
§ The
entire
process
took
70
days
to
complete.
§ Several
embalmers
conducted
the
task
in
the
special
embalming
shop,
or
per-‐nefer.
§ The
chief
embalmer
was
known
as
the
hery
sheshta.
§ He
wore
a
jackal
mask
to
represent
Anubis,
the
god
of
mummification.
5. The Mummification Process
§ After
the
deceased’s
body
was
brought
to
the
per-‐
nefer,
it
was
washed
with
a
mixture
of
palm
wine
and
water
from
the
Nile,
then
shaved
of
its
hair.
§ Following
that,
all
of
the
body
parts
that
might
decay
or
rot
were
removed.
§ The
embalmers
first
removed
the
deceased’s
brain
through
his
or
her
nose
using
a
long
hook.
6. The Mummification Process
§ The
long
hook
was
used
to
stir
up
the
brain
until
it
was
liquefied.
§ Then
the
embalmers
would
turn
the
body
face
down
to
allow
the
brain
to
ooze
out
through
the
nostrils.
§ The
Egyptians
were
so
rough
on
the
brain
because
they
didn’t
realize
its
importance.
§ They
thought
its
sole
purpose
was
to
produce
snot!
7. The Mummification Process
§ Next,
the
embalmers
would
remove
the
soft,
moist
body
parts
that
would
cause
the
body
to
decay.
§ A
deep
incision
was
made
in
the
left
side
of
the
deceased’s
abdomen
to
remove
his
or
her
internal
organs,
usually
the
lungs,
the
stomach,
the
liver
and
the
intestines.
8. The Mummification Process
§ In
some
cases
they
removed
the
heart,
but
in
the
vast
majority
of
cases
they
left
it.
§ Unlike
modern
humans,
the
ancient
believed
that
the
heart,
not
the
brain,
was
the
seat
of
the
soul
§ The
Egyptians
also
believed
that
the
heart
testified
on
behalf
of
the
deceased
during
the
Weighing
of
the
Heart
Ceremony
in
the
afterlife.
9. The Mummification Process
§ After
the
body’s
organs
had
been
removed,
it
was
stuffed
with
bundles
of
a
strong
drying
salt
called
natron
that
was
meant
to
further
dehydrate
the
corpse.
§ The
deceased’s
entire
body
was
then
covered
with
natron
&
placed
on
an
inclined
slab
so
that
any
moisture
the
natron
pulled
from
the
body
would
run
off
the
end,
be
collected
&
buried
with
the
body.
10. The Mummification Process
§ While
the
body
was
drying,
the
previously
removed
internal
organs
were
also
dried
&
preserved
with
natron.
§ They
were
then
wrapped
in
strips
of
linen
&
put
into
separate
containers
called
canopic
jars.
§ The
Egyptians
believed
that
all
body
parts
would
be
magically
reunited
in
the
afterlife
and
that
the
body
would
become
whole
again,
just
like
the
god
Osiris’s
had.
11. The Egyptian Myth of Osiris
§ According
to
Egyptian
mythology,
the
god
Osiris
was
murdered
by
his
jealous
brother
Set,
who
hacked
Osiris’s
body
into
pieces
&
scattered
them
into
the
Nile.
§ Heartbroken,
Osiris’s
wife,
the
goddess
Isis,
reassembled
the
pieces
with
the
other
gods’
assistance
&
Osiris
was
magically
restored.
§ He
then
went
on
to
become
the
god
of
the
afterlife.
12. The Mummification Process
§ Next,
the
canopic
jars
were
carefully
stored
in
a
heavy,
secure
chest
that
was
later
placed
in
the
tomb
with
the
mummy.
§ The
chest
of
canopic
jars
on
the
left
was
found
in
the
tomb
of
the
famous
King
Tutankhamen.
13. The Mummification Process
§ After
40
days,
the
body
was
completely
dehydrated.
§ During
that
time
the
skin
became
shrunken,
wrinkled
&
leathery.
§ The
bundles
of
natron
were
then
removed
from
the
body’s
abdomen.
§ Next,
the
mummy
was
washed
with
wine
&
water
one
more
time
&
rubbed
with
sacred
oils
to
soften
the
skin.
14. The Mummification Process
§ According
to
Egyptian
myth,
the
god
Horus
had
his
eye
miraculously
restored
after
losing
it
in
a
battle
with
the
evil
god
Set.
§ As
a
result,
The
Eye
of
Horus,
called
a
wedjat,
is
associated
with
healing
&
protection.
§ During
mummification,
a
wax
or
bronze
plate
with
a
wedjat
carved
on
it
was
placed
over
the
embalming
incision
to
magically
heal
the
wound
in
the
afterlife.
15. The Mummification Process
§ Once
the
wedjat
was
in
place,
the
entire
body
was
then
covered
in
shrouds
&
bound
with
strips
of
linen
until
the
mummy
had
returned
to
its
original
size.
§ This
was
a
complicated
job,
could
take
as
long
as
a
week,
and
usually
required
1,000
yards’
worth
of
2
–
8”
wide
linen
strips.
16. The Mummification Process
§ After
the
week
of
wrapping
was
finished,
the
head
of
the
mummy
was
covered
with
a
portrait
mask.
§ This
was
designed
to
ensure
that
the
ka
would
recognize
the
body
in
the
afterlife.
§ Finally,
the
wrapped,
masked
mummy
was
placed
into
a
series
of
wooden
&
gilded
coffins
which
were
ultimately
placed
into
a
stone
sarcophagus.
17. The Mummification Process
§ The
deceased’s
sarcophagus
was
then
placed
inside
the
tomb’s
burial
chamber,
the
entrance
to
which
would
be
sealed
to
prevent
looting
or
theft.
§ Before
the
tomb
was
sealed,
the
deceased’s
family
members
deposited
food,
clothes,
furniture,
and
dishes
into
the
burial
chamber.
§ They
did
this
because
the
Egyptians
believed
the
deceased
would
need
the
same
accoutrements
in
the
afterlife
that
he
or
she
had
used
in
his
or
her
mortal
life.
19. Architecture of the Afterlife
The Nile’s Shaping Influence
§ The
Nile
River
had
an
important
influence
in
the
geometry
of
ancient
Egyptian
architecture.
§ The
Nile
is
a
very
straight
river,
and
the
straightness
of
its
line
provided
the
ancient
Egyptians
with
both
a
symbolic
sense
of
direction
&
a
principle
for
application
in
the
creation
of
monumental
buildings.
20. Architecture of the Afterlife
Construction Systems
§ In
contrast,
Egyptian
monumental
construction
is
mainly
post-‐and-‐
beam.
§ This
is
found
mainly
in
pyramids,
tombs
&
temples.
§ Ironically,
columns
are
designed
to
look
like
plant
materials:
§ Their
shafts
resemble
bundles
of
plant
stems
tied
together.
§ Their
capitals
are
derived
from
the
lotus
bud,
the
papyrus
flower,
or
the
palm
frond.
§ Great
importance
was
attached
to
relief
carving
&
it
was
an
integral
part
of
the
architecture.
21. Architecture of the Afterlife
§ Egyptian
tombs
were
the
most
outstanding
architectural
achievements
of
the
period.
§ In
addition
to
housing
the
deceased
Egyptians’
remains,
tombs
served
as
places
of
worship
for
the
Cult
of
the
Dead.
§ The
Egyptians
thought
that
their
pharaohs
became
gods
upon
their
deaths,
and
worshipped
them
as
such.
§ The
tomb
evolved
during
the
Old
Kingdom
from
the
mastaba,
through
the
stepped
pyramid,
to
the
renowned
ancient
Egyptian
pyramids.
22. Architecture of the Afterlife
§ The
name
mastaba
derived
from
the
name
for
the
steps
or
podiums
found
in
the
front
of
traditional
Egyptian
houses.
§ In
the
Old
Kingdom,
rich
&
noble
people
built
mastabas
for
their
burials
in
the
necropolis.
§ Above
ground,
the
mastaba
looks
like
a
large
bench
of
sunbaked
bricks
rising
about
30
feet
high,
with
a
flat
roof
&
sloping
walls.
§ The
earliest
mastabas
were
decorated
with
painted
patterns
in
brilliant
colors.
23. Architecture of the Afterlife
§ Internally,
a
mastaba
consists
of
three
spaces:
an
underground
burial
chamber
&
an
above
ground
serdab
&
chapel.
§ The
burial
chamber
was
located
30
feet
below
ground
&
was
the
place
for
the
deceased’s
sarcophagus.
§ It
was
connected
to
the
serdab
&
chapel
above
ground
through
a
shaft.
24. Architecture of the Afterlife
§ The
mastaba’s
serdab
&
chapel
are
located
above-‐
ground.
§ The
serdab
is
a
room
where
the
ka
statue
of
the
dead
person
is
kept.
§ The
ka
statue
would
act
as
a
substitute
for
the
deceased’s
body
in
case
it
was
destroyed
and
was
also
the
focus
of
worship
by
the
deceased’s
family
members.
26. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Step Pyramid of King Djoser
§ Egyptian
King
Djoser
was
a
powerful
pharaoh
of
the
third
dynasty
of
the
Old
Kingdom.
§ His
tomb,
known
as
the
Step
Pyramid
of
King
Djoser,
was
designed
by
Imhotep
(the
first
named
artist
in
history)
in
2,667
BCE.
§ It
was
built
as
a
funeral
complex
at
the
necropolis
of
Saqqara.
§ Initially,
Imhotep
conceived
of
the
tomb
as
a
large
mastaba
of
stone.
27. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Step Pyramid of King Djoser
§ Apparently,
King
Djoser
did
not
like
Imhotep’s
initial
idea,
so
instead
Imhotep
designed
a
series
of
layered
mastaba
“steps”
instead.
§ The
result
was
a
pyramid
with
five
sloping
tiers
set
upon
a
massive
mastaba
base.
§ As
a
result,
this
step
pyramid
acts
as
the
intermediate
step
between
the
mastaba
and
a
true
geometric
pyramid.
28. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Step Pyramid of King Djoser
§ Sadly,
the
pharaoh’s
stockpile
of
treasures
were
looted
in
antiquity,
and
none
of
them
survive
today.
§ Recently,
however,
a
ka
statue
of
King
Djoser
was
found,
staring
out
through
peep
holes
in
his
serdab!
30. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Step Pyramid of King Djoser
§ The
complex’s
actual
entrance
door
leads
to
a
long,
enclosed
hall
supported
by
two
rows
of
columns.
§ These
are
believed
to
be
the
oldest
surviving
stone
columns
in
history!
§ Cleverly,
the
architect,
Imhotep,
designed
the
columns
to
look
like
bundles
of
reeds
from
the
Nile.
31. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Step Pyramid of King Djoser
§ After
the
completion
of
King
Djoser’s
Step
Pyramid
at
Saqqara,
subsequent
pharaohs
made
several
attempts
at
designing
&
building
purely
geometrical
pyramids
for
themselves
as
tombs.
§ Among
the
more
successful,
prominent
attempts
were
the
Pyramid
of
King
Huni
at
Meidum,
&
the
two
pyramids
built
by
Pharaoh
Snefru
at
Dashur.
33. Architecture of the Afterlife:
Pyramid of King Huni at Meidum
§ It
was
King
Huni
made
the
first
attempt
at
building
pure,
geometrical
Pyramid
at
Meidum
in
2637
BCE.
§ To
do
this,
he
constructed
a
seven-‐
stepped
pyramid
with
a
square
plan,
a
height
of
295’,
&
an
angle
of
incline
of
51°.
35. Architecture of the Afterlife:
Snefru’s Bent Pyramid at Dahshur
§ The
later
Pharaoh
Snefru
made
two
attempts
at
creating
a
true
pyramid.
§ His
first
attempt
in
2,600
BCE,
the
Bent
Pyramid
at
Dahshur,
had
a
square
plan
with
a
height
of
334’.
§ Due
to
structural
instability
during
construction,
the
pyramid’s
sides
changed
angle
halfway
up,
which
led
to
its
being
nicknamed
the
“Bent
Pyramid”.
37. Architecture of the Afterlife:
Snefru’s Red Pyramid at Dahshur
§ King
Snefru’s
second
pyramid
to
the
north,
known
today
as
the
Red
Pyramid,
is
the
tomb
in
which
the
pharaoh
was
actually
buried.
§ It
is
not
a
true
pyramid,
because
its
sides
have
a
very
low
pitch
of
43°
instead
of
52°,
making
it
look
stunted
or
squatty.
§ A
true
pyramid
has
an
incline
angle
of
52°.
39. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Pyramids at Giza
§ Construction
of
a
true
geometrical
pyramid
was
finally
achieved
during
reign
of
King
Cheops,
son
of
Snefru,
in
2,560
BCE.
§ His
pyramid
is
located,
along
with
the
other
most
famous
true
pyramids,
on
the
Giza
Plateau
on
the
west
bank
of
the
Nile.
§ Today,
King
Cheops’
Pyramid
is
nicknamed
“The
Great
Pyramid”
because
of
its
size.
§ The
pyramid
is
482’
high
on
a
plan
of
760’
square.
40. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Pyramids at Giza
§ Eventually,
two
additional
pyramids
were
built
at
Giza
by
Cheops’
successors.
§ The
second
and
largest,
in
the
center,
was
built
by
King
Chefren,
King
Cheops’s
son.
§ The
third
and
smallest
was
built
by
King
Mycerinus,
Chefren’s
son.
§ Collectively,
the
three
are
referred
to
as
the
Pyramids
at
Giza.
41. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Pyramids at Giza
§ The
three
are
aligned
diagonally
along
the
axis
set
by
the
Great
Pyramid.
§ The
three
small
pyramids
located
close
by
were
built
for
the
pharaohs’
queens.
42. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Pyramids at Giza
§ All
the
pyramids
were
designed
as
part
of
a
dynastic
funeral
complex
for
the
burial
of
the
pharaohs.
§ Today,
Chefren’s
complex
is
the
best
preserved
example.
§ His
complex
consist
of
three
interconnected
units:
v A
valley
temple
by
the
Nile
where
the
pharaoh’s
body
was
embalmed
v A
pyramid
mortuary
temple
for
rituals
v A
long
narrow
causeway
connecting
the
two
43. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Great Sphinx
§ Also
located
at
Giza
is
the
Great
Sphinx
with
the
body
of
a
lion
&
the
head
of
Chefren.
§ The
reason
for
its
construction
&
its
purpose
are
unclear.
§ A
theory
holds
that
it
was
produced
from
leftover
pyramid
materials
that
were
a
applied
to
an
existing
stone.
§ It
may
also
have
been
carved
to
stand
guard
over
the
temple
&
tomb
of
Chefren.
44. Architecture of the Afterlife:
The Period of Pyramids Passes
§ With
King
Mycerinus’s
death,
the
era
of
the
pyramid
ended
for
the
most
part.
§ More
pyramids
were
built
by
later
pharaohs,
but
they
were
smaller
&
less
complex.
§ Also,
later
pharaohs
could
not
afford
the
cost
of
huge
pyramid
construction.
§ Of
even
greater
concern,
ancient
grave
robbers
quickly
learned
how
to
break
into
the
pyramids
&
steal
the
goods
buried
with
pharaohs.
§ The
end
of
the
Old
Kingdom
therefore
marked
the
end
of
the
great
era
of
Egyptian
pyramid
construction.
45. Architecture of the Afterlife:
Middle Kingdom Temples & Tombs
§ Two
types
of
underground
tombs
were
built
by
pharaohs
&
nobles
during
the
Middle
&
New
Kingdom
periods:
Rock-‐cut
tombs
&
shaft
tombs.
§
A
rock-‐cut
tomb
is
a
tomb
that
is
carved
into
the
earth
itself.
§ Many
of
these
are
found
along
the
western
cliffs
of
the
Nile.
§ Good
examples
are
the
30+
rock-‐cut
tombs
at
Beni
Hassan,
built
for
royal
governors
from
the
21st
–
19th
centuries
BCE.
46. Architecture of the Afterlife:
Middle Kingdom Temples & Tombs
§ Later,
shaft
tombs
were
constructed
as
a
complex
series
of
underground
corridors
&
rooms,
cut
into
the
mountains
in
the
Valley
of
the
Kings
at
Deir
Al-‐Bahri.
§ Their
large
number
of
rooms
&
complicated
arrangement
were
deliberate:
they
were
a
maze
or
puzzle
to
confuse
grave
robbers!