The first step in the process was the removal of all internal parts that might decay rapidly. Beyond knowing the correct rituals and prayers to be performed at various stages, the priests also needed a detailed knowledge of human anatomy. Special priests worked as embalmers, treating and wrapping the body. The mummification process took seventy days. It is the general process of this period that shall be described here. 1570–1075 BCE) and include those of Tutankhamen and other well-known pharaohs. The best prepared and preserved mummies are from the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Dynasties of the New Kingdom (ca. Within any one period the quality of the mummification varied, depending on the price paid for it. The practice continued and developed for well over 2,000 years, into the Roman Period (ca. About 2600 BCE, during the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties, Egyptians probably began to mummify the dead intentionally. By chance, dry sand and air (since Egypt has almost no measurable rainfall) preserved some bodies buried in shallow pits dug into the sand. The earliest mummies from prehistoric times probably were accidental. Mummification was practiced throughout most of early Egyptian history. So successful were they that today we can view the mummified body of an Egyptian and have a good idea of what he or she looked like in life, 3,000 years ago. It was important in their religion to preserve the dead body in as life-like a manner as possible.
Using special processes, the Egyptians removed all moisture from the body, leaving only a dried form that would not easily decay. The methods of embalming, or treating the dead body, that the ancient Egyptians used is called mummification.
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art.
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