Why do Egyptians marvel the bodies of dead people?
The ancient Egyptians believed that everyone has one soul. Even when they die, a part of their soul will forever be attached to the body. Therefore, preserving the body with the purpose of retaining the soul was extremely important for the Egyptians.
However, the answer to why the Egyptians marinated the body may lie in one of the oldest legends of ancient Egypt. The god Osiris, a modern-day pharaoh, was one of the most important gods in ancient ancient Egypt.
He was jealous, murdered and taken the throne by his younger brother, Set. His remains were scattered across Egypt. Osiris' wife, Isis, tried to restore her husband's body, using her luck and reviving Osiris long enough to conceive their son, Horus.
Therefore, Osiris became a symbol of life and rebirth, and at the same time a symbol of the deceased king. The body wrapped in white ice, green or black skin symbolizes the ability to reproduction and regeneration, and the royal costume marks him as the first person to die, the first person to be reborn.
Who will be marred?
Not all ancient Egyptians were willing to sell their bodies because it was an expensive, time-consuming process and not everyone was able to afford the entire process. There are many different types of body improvement options and different skills of the person improving the body, as well as factors such as climate, which means that the results are not always good.
Of course, the best materials and special attention belong to the royal family and the upper class, but the lowest classes in society often carry out the simplest burial methods, and many people are not allowed to have their bodies marbled at all.
The remains of the dead can rest assured that their remains will be transformed, according to the tradition of Osiris, and reborn completely in the world beyond.
The process of naming the body
According to The Collector, naming is a long and elaborate process, naming requires pure skill.
The process of body marination usually takes about 70 days, starting with removing the brain and other internal organs such as the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines, if left behind, it will speed up the decomposition process.
They are placed in separate containers, called canopic containers. The heart is often left behind because it is said to be a place to contain memories, emotions of a person and record their actions in life.
The body is then cleaned and marinated with palm wine, incense, and sodium (a natural salt) for the required time to speed up the dehydration process.
Next, the body is washed and wrapped in a strip of flax fabric, often with spells placed between layers, then fixed with resin plastic, helping to preserve the shape and integrity of the body, while inhibiting the growth of bacteria.
A cheaper and simpler method to emptying body cavities is to use a snowstormer to remove organs, then marinate with sodium salt. The body can then be wrapped or returned to the family as is.
Over time, some details seem to have changed. For example, sometimes, the heart is cut off, the brain is still in the skull or internal organs are processed, wrapped and left in the body. However, basic practices still seem to have not changed much.
Tools and materials used to marinate the body
sodium salt is mainly native to Wadi Natrun, northwest of Cairo. Herbal and oily spices include pine oil, snow leopard, cinnamon and fennel. The main canal for removing organs is on the side of the hip, cut with sharp stones. In addition, there are also bronze tools such as knives, clips, etc.
Before dilating to remove organs, people use a long skewer made of metal, reed or wood, inside the skull from the nasal cavity and stir until the brain marrow flows along the nose.
Smaller sodium salt packages wrapped in flax fabric help shape the body and dehydrate. This process is done in a moringa factory.
When the process was completed, the remaining materials were taken to be buried.
