Why did they make mummies?

They therefore developed a method of preserving, or embalming, bodies to make mummies. Ancient books describe the complete embalming process, which took 70 days. First, the embalmer made a small incision and removed all the body’s organs except the heart and kidneys. read more

The Egyptians began mummifying their dead around 3500 B.C. but took almost a thousand years to perfect their technique. The earliest completely preserved Egyptian mummies were created around 2400 BC. These are called anthropogenic mummies because they were intentionally created. read more

Discuss why the mummification process took a long time to develop. Remind pupils that it was a ritual, but that it was also a scientific process. Wrap-up the discussion by explaining what kinds of information modern scientists and Egyptologists have learnt from studying mummies from ancient Egypt. read more