Ancient Egyptian History
WHERE IS EGYPT?
Egypt is in Africa. As in the map,shown to the left, Egypt is in the northeastern part of Africa. Also, as many of you might know, the Nile River runs through Egypt. This river was very important to keep Egypt populated, before large amounts of water could be transported.
HOW DID THE EGYPTIANS MAKE MUMMIES?
When an Egyptian died, they started the mummification process right away. To get the body ready, priests and other important people would take the organs out of the body. Then they would take out the brains by using a hook to pull them out. When they got everything out of the body, they would put these organs in jars to put in the tomb. Then, the process began. To start off, they had to dry out the body. To do that, they used special salts and other products. After the body has been drying for a few days, the people come back and begin to wrap the body. They used many different layers of linens and fabrics to make the outer cover. This kept the mummy safe and preserved, as did the salts. When the mummy has been through these steps, then it is ready to be buried, almost. Now, all that is left is the casket. The Egyptians made these very ornate. This showed that the high priest, pharaoh, or other important people, such as the queen, had much money. That made them look above everyone else in the outlook.
The first layer of the mummy's many coffins was very ornate with lots of designs and a face mask at the top. To the left you will see what one of the many mummy coffins looked like.
The second layer of coffin on around the mummy was similar to the first but with less detail and pictures. It has a more simple design to it. The coffin in this picture looks very ornate because it belongs to King Tut. When King Tut's tomb was discovered, he had very ornate things. And lots of them to!
And the final piece, is the sarcophagus. This is the part of the many coffins that most people see, that is because it is the outer layer. In the picture to the left, it shows King Tut's sarcophagus.
But there is one more thing... The mask. Most people who have studied Egypt, even just the tiniest bit have seen the mask of King Tut. King Tut's mask is made of pure gold. The mask usually shows what the person will look like in the afterlife. The picture to the left shows the mask of King Tut. Also, the picture beside the mask, to the right, shows the facial reconstruction of King Tut. They suppose that this is what he looked like, but, who will ever know?!?