Ancient Egypt Mummification Methods Uncovered

Egyptian mummification was a controlled technology: remove the wet organs, dry the body with natron, rebuild the form with packing and resin, and seal it with linen so a whole person could live again. This episode walks the step-by-step mummification process—purification, evisceration, canopic jars, natron salt embalming, anointing, and mummy wrapping methods—then adds what modern science confirms. CT scans of mummies reveal brain treatment choices, internal packs, and amulet clusters without unwrapping; resin and linen analysis identifies beeswax, plant oils, conifer resins, Pistacia/dammar, and bitumen tuned to different body parts. We compare Old Kingdom and New Kingdom practice, read tomb inscriptions for roles and tools, and show what “how Egyptians mummified bodies” means in lab-checked detail—clear enough to reuse as a checklist for your own research on ancient embalming techniques in Egypt.

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 — Why mummification = technology, not mystery
00:30 — Goals: halt decay, preserve identity
01:00 — Purification: washing and degreasing
01:30 — Left-flank incision & organ removal
02:00 — Canopic jars: Four Sons of Horus & purposes
02:30 — Brain treatment: excerebration vs leaving in place
03:00 — Natron drying: chemistry and timing
03:30 — Rebuilding form: pads, packs, false eyes
04:00 — Anointing: balms, oils, resins
04:30 — Bandaging patterns & resin “glue” layers
05:00 — Amulets between wraps: protection map
05:30 — Masks & coffins as “addressable body”
06:00 — Workshop logistics & priestly roles
06:30 — Old vs New Kingdom differences
07:00 — CT scans: inside without unwrapping
07:30 — Resin analysis: labeled recipes (Saqqara)
08:00 — Case study: canopic jar balms (Senetnay)
08:30 — Myths vs evidence (brain, organs, bitumen)
09:00 — Step-by-step recap checklist
09:30 — Why ritual + science belong together

Sources:

Egyptian death and afterlife: mummies — British Museum — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collect...

Ancient Egyptian mummification — Visit resource for teachers (70-day process) — British Museum — https://www.britishmuseum.org/sites/d...

How were ancient Egyptians mummified? — Australian Museum — https://australian.museum/learn/cultu...

Canopic Jar — The Metropolitan Museum of Art — https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...

Biomolecular analyses enable new insights into ancient Egyptian embalming (Saqqara workshop) — Nature — https://www.nature.com/articles/s4158...

Biomolecular characterization of 3500-year-old balms from canopic jars (Senetnay) — Scientific Reports — https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159...

Variability in Brain Treatment During Mummification of Royal Egyptian Mummies — AJR — https://ajronline.org/doi/10.2214/AJR...

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#ancientegypt #mummification #archaeology