Mastering Mummification - Part II
They believed it was the center of one’s being and it determined their “rank” or stature in the afterlife. They thought nothing of the brain however, and, after they completely destroyed it in the removal process, it was discarded.)
The rest of the internal organs were packed in natron for the dehydration process and eventually sealed inside canopic jars – preserved for their use in the afterlife. The Archaeology article, “A Thoroughly Modern Mummy”, also indicates Brier and Wade packed the abdominal cavity with natron packets and spices, including frankincense and myrrh, for the dehydration process. These packets would help to collect any remaining fluid which might drain out of the rest of the body, including any blood which had not already drained away. The mummy was finally packed and covered with natron and left on the embalming board to dry for a period of 70 days.
In the end, Brier and Wade determined approximately at what time the mummies were arranged or posed for their trip into the afterlife and they solved another mystery, whether it was the natron or just years in the hot, dry sand that caused mummies to become such a dark color.
“Dehydration causes elements in the blood (iron) to be more concentrated and thus color change,” Brier noted in a recent e-mail interview.
Overall, Brier I believe found this to be a very worthwhile experience, and while his critics claims he misused the donor body, there are legitimate things that have been learned through the experience. As for making more mummies in the future. . .
“I won’t be creating any more mummies in the future,” Brier concluded. “We learned what we wanted. Right now I am working on mummies in South America – frozen Inca sacrifices.”
Next time, some final thoughts about why mummies have such a power to intrigue us and a look at some other "modern day mummies."
Look at the end of Mastering Mummification - Part I for links to websites containing more specific information about making mummies and mummies in general.
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