Next, the corpse was taken to what was called the ‘House of Mummification,’ where the organs were extracted and the cavity of the body was washed out using palm wine.

It is believed that the process of mummification began in the ‘House of Purification,’ which accompanied the washing of the body in the water of the Nile River. To this day, it is believed that the mummies displaying the best preservation methods are those of the New Kingdom, which represented the 18th to 20th dynasties that ruled the land between 16 BC. When the body decayed, it was thought that the ‘Ka’ spirit also withered. In the belief system, immortality relied on the process of mummification of the body, as it was seen as a preservation of ‘Ka,’ which referred to the spirit that was present in the physical part of the body when an individual was alive. As the corpses dried out, the layers and layers of linen created the initial shape.

The varying quality of linen played a role in the quality of the mummification process.

Later, the ancient Egyptians would learn that the outer elements really didn’t have anything to do with the decaying process and discovered that it actually started from inside the body. Numerous layers of linen were used to cover the entire body with coatings of resin added as a way to prevent the elements from disrupting the process of mummification.

New kingdom mummification natron salt