Mummies

Paper Summary:

The writer of this essay looks at how art fulfilled a functional and religious purpose for the ancient Egyptians, rather than an artistic or personally expressive purpose. The writer maintains that this can be seen in the Egyptian art and rituals devoted to the preservation of mummies. The writer describes that the ancient Egyptians believed that mummifying a person's body after death was essential to ensure a safe passage to the afterlife. In this article, the writer discusses the process and ritual of mummification. The writer concludes that although mummies do not conform to common Western notions of what constitutes art, they were certainly artful and time-consuming to produce and reflect the cultural values and mythology of the ancient Egyptians.

From the Paper:

"Every step of the process was rigorously prescribed by ritual. Only priests were qualified to prepare a mummy, and this was because of their ceremonial and religious office, not only their craftsmanship. The art of Egyptian mummification began with the body of the dead being washed and ritually purified. The deceased person's inner organs were removed through a cut lit in the left side of the body. The intestines, the liver, the stomach and the lungs were embalmed using natron "which served to dry out the organs and discourage bacteria from decaying the tissues."
Elaborately decorated canopic jars held these organs in the tomb. "The lids of these jars were fashioned after the four sons of Horus, who were each entrusted with protecting a particular organ:" the falcon headed son Qebehsenuef, guarded the intestines, the jackal headed Duamutef the stomach, the baboon head Hapy the lungs, and Imsety, a human head, guarded the liver."

More papers on Mummies:

• Research Paper # 109505 : "The Mummies of Urumchi, China"
• Book Review # 66714 : "The Mummies of Urumchi"
• Book Review # 62236 : "The Mummies of Urmuchai"

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