| Arms
and Legs |
|
These
appendages became
very shriveled and quite thin as they dried out. During 21st Dynasty, padding was added under the skin to make them look
more life-like. The padding was added through a number of incisions made in the
skin.
|
| Brains |
|
Until
the 18th Dynasty, the brain was usually left inside the skull. (However, brains were
sometimes removed as early as the Old Kingdom but this was not a commonplace occurrence.)
During the 18th Dynasty, the brain began to be removed, most often through the nostril
(occasionally through an eye socket or a hole drilled into the skull). After removal, the
brain cavity was filled with sawdust, resin, and/or resin-soaked linen. By the end of the
2nd Century A.D., brain removal had mostly stopped.
|
| Eyes
|
|
The
eyeballs were often pushed
into eye socket and covered with linen pads. Sometimes eyes were painted onto the linen,
but eventually the Egyptians began to use stone or glass eyes. Some mummies received onion
skins and occasionally whole onions for eyes.
|
| Fingers
and Toes |
|
During the New Kingdom, finger- and toenails were actually tied onto the body
so that they wouldn't fall off during the drying period.
|
| Heart |
|
The only major organ left in the body, though it may have been removed accidentally on
occasion. It was considered the location of "reason, emotion, memory, and
personality."
|
|
Intestines
|
|
The intestines were usually
placed
in canopic jar. When mummymakers misplaced (or ruined) the internal organs of one mummy,
a rope was substituted for the intestines in a canopic jar.
|
|
Kidneys
|
|
The kidneys were usually
not removed. There is no word in ancient Egyptian language for kidneys, so if they were
sometimes removed, it may well have been accidental.
|
|
Liver
|
|
The liver was usually placed
in canopic jar.
|
|
Lungs
|
|
The lungs were usually placed
in canopic jar.
|
|
Mouth
|
|
The mouth was sometimes packed
with material (such as linen or even wax), and the tongue was sometimes covered with
a tongue plate,
often made from gold.
|
|
Nostrils
|
|
The nostrils were often
plugged, especially by the New Kingdom. Resin covered with onion skin was put in nostrils
of Ramesses IV. Mummymakers plugged nostrils with wax during the 21st Dynasty. One mummy's
nose was even plugged with peppercorns during the 21st Dynasty.
|
|
Skin
|
|
The skin became
dried during the mummification process, so Egyptians rubbed different "moisturizers"
onto the skin, such as oils, beeswax, spices, and even milk and wine.
|
|
Stomach
|
|
The stomach was usually
placed
in canopic jar.
|
|
|
