How did the ancient Egyptians make a mummy?
You never can tell when such a practical, if retro skill might come in handy. Maybe the Boy Scouts will offer it as a new Merit Badge. So here it is, quick and simple: Mummies for Dummies. Notwithstanding certain horror movies, the recipe generally called for starting with a dead person. Observing that decomposition began with the internal organs, the Egyptians removed them and placed them in jars to accompany the deceased on his or her journey into the afterlife — that s travelin light. They stuffed the body cavities with incense (no bread crumbs, please) and, covering it with moisture-absorbing sodium compounds called natron, left the body to dry out for 5 to 6 weeks–or roughly a week or two longer than it takes the average modern-day celeb to dry out at Hazelden…. Then they replaced the stuffing with natron and resin-soaked linen, stitched up the mummy, applied the familiar bandages and put the whole thing in a box. Finished. As they say in Hollywood, that s a wrap. Source: www.
