Essay on Mummies - 526 Words

Mummies According to British anthropologist, Edward Tylor, culture is that complex whole which included knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. (Ferraro, 18) Many cultures around the world have fascinating ceremonies and rites held for their dead but perhaps the most amazing is that of the ancient Egyptians. They are famous for their skillful embalming and their elaborate burial customs. The Egyptians believed that every person had a spirit that would live on after the human body died. The spirit would be able to move, eat, drink, and enjoy pleasures just like then the body was alive. But, in order to do this; the spirit had to have a†¦show more content†¦Therefore, the Egyptians left jars of grain and water in the graves. The ba was the other form of a persons spirit. It was different than the ka in that it was able to leave the tomb. It could do this in any shape it pleased. However, the most common was a small bird with a human head that resembled that of the dead person. Without a mummy, there would be no ka and no ba. Death would be final, with no afterlife and this was something the ancient Egyptians could not accept. There were many gods that were important to the Egyptians but the most important was Osiris. The god Osiris was said to have triumphed over death, and every ancient Egyptian wanted to follow his example. Legend told that Osiris was a good pharaoh who was murdered by his evil brother, Seth. Seth cut Osiris into fourteen pieces and scattered them all over Egypt. His wife, Isis, eventually found all of them and magically Osiris body become whole. This story of the dead kings miraculous resurrection gave Egyptians hope in everlasting life. So to be reborn, a dead person tried to be identified with Osiris in every possible way. Mummies were prepared in exactly the same way as the body of Osiris had been hundreds of years before. If all went well, the mummy would become an Osiris and live forever. The key to making long lasting mummies was drying out the bodies of the dead before burial. The first part in doing this was to remove the organs that were most likely to causeShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Mummy1541 Words   |  7 PagesThe Mummy Throughout history, the mummy has been stereotyped as no more than an egyptian deceased wrapped in cloth, whose spirit returns from the dead in order to haunt mankind. However, as literature and mythology present, Mummies exist in modern context promptly as scorned lovers, scientists, past rulers, wronged souls, or a combination of all. In deconstructing the Mummy, the statement of â€Å"We are creatures that require social interaction† often comes to mind. After all, even in death we are infrequentlyRead MoreMummy : The Fascinating Truth Behind Mummies1864 Words   |  8 PagesWhen we hear the word â€Å"mummy† we usually think of horror movies, cartoons and our favorite dress up holiday â€Å"Halloween†, but we never really think of the deep significant value mummies have given our world. On a recent trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science I discover the fascinating truth behind mummies. I had the great pleasure of exploring one of the most amazing exh ibits called â€Å"Mummies of the World†, and got to learn many interesting things like what they stand for and most importantlyRead MoreMummy: Ancient Egypt and Mummification2158 Words   |  9 PagesThe Importance of Mummification One of the first thoughts that usually comes to an individuals mind when thinking about Egyptian history is pharaohs, pyramids and mummies. This is a common thought that has led many historians and archaeologist to study Egyptian history. 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My first article is about forensic radiology and how it determines unexplained head injuries in child mummies. Janet Davey and Olaf H. Drummer explained that the identification of cause of death in ancient Egyptian child mummies have changed since advanced visual workstations have produced more detailed virtual data that allowed more accurate reporting on injuries and cause of death. They elaborated on the fact thatRead MoreThe Life Of Michael C. Carlos Museum1373 Words   |  6 Pagestemple itself is this huge grand thing with gold and marble and stone. I get the same feeling of irony when I think about cathedrals. The exhibit on Greece was one of the bigger exhibits, but it was also right next to the Egyptian exhibit with all the mummies so I was more than little distracted going through it. However I do remember my husband, who I dragged along, making multiple complaints about the idealized male form in Greek sculpture. He is an ex-marine, and I think he hasn’t quite come to termsRead MoreThe Art of Mummification Essay1362 Words   |  6 Pagesmillennium B.C. It may date back many years, but was not perfected till many years later to what we officially call mummification. (Dunand 27) We call it mummification and the bodies mummies because of the Persian word for bitumen, which is mummia. The reason for this name is because of the dark skin of mummies, which people mistook for bitumen. Bitumen is a mineral formed for a tar like substance. (Becket 31) One of the main reasons to prepare the body, making it look like bitumen, was forRead MoreEgyptian Religion and Immortality Essay1395 Words   |  6 Pages The most noticing aspect of Egyptian religion is its obsession with immortality and the belief of life after death. This sculpture can show you this on how mummification gave upbringing to complex arts in ancient Egypt. The sculpture is the Mummy Case of Paankhenamun. The artwork is currently viewed at The Art Institute of Chicago. The sculpture was from the third period, Dynasty 22, in ancient Egypt. However, the sculpture has many features to it that makes it so unique in ancient Egypt from anyRead More Mummification Essay930 Words   |  4 Pagesand other bodily fluids came out and went down the table being collected into a bowl. During the old and Middle Kingdoms, the brain was left in the head, in which it just dried up over time. When these mummies are moved you can hear the hardened pieces of the brain rolling around in the mummies head. Then in the New Kingdom, the embalmers started removing the brain. They would break open the bone that separates the nasal cavity from the brain cavity. They did this by shoving a sharp instrumentRead MoreAncient Egypt and Copyright Slater1717 Words   |  7 PagesSlater, Millen Passage 3 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27–40 which are based on this passage. Mystery of the mummies In 1992, a German scientist made a discovery which was to upset whole areas of scientific study from history and archeology to chemistry and botany. Dr. Svetlana Balabanova, a forensic specialist, was performing tissue tests on an Egyptian mummy, part of a German museum collection. The mummified remains were of a woman named Henut-Taui who had died over 3000 years ago