corpse fragrant. The outer skin of the mummy, hardened
by the natron, was massaged with milk, honey, and vari-
ous ointments. The embalming incision made in the
abdomen was closed and sealed with magical emblems
and molten resin. The ears, nostrils, eyes, and mouth of
the deceased were plugged with various wads of linen,
and in the case of royal corpses the tongue was covered
with gold. The eyes were pushed back with pads and
closed, and the body was covered with molten resin.
The cosmetic preparations that were part of the final
stages of embalming included the application of gold leaf,
the painting of the face, and the restoration of the eye-
brows. Wigs were placed on some corpses, and they were
dressed in their robes of state and given their emblems of
divine kingship. In some periods the bodies were painted,
the priests using red ochre for male corpses and yellow
for the women. Jewels and costly AMULETSwere also
placed on the arms and legs of the mummies.
The actual wrapping of the mummy in linen (called
“yesterday’s linen” in the case of the poor, who could
only provide the embalmers with used cloth), took more
than two weeks. This was an important aspect of the
mortuary process, accompanied by incantations, hymns,
and ritual ceremonies. In some instances the linens taken
from shrines and temples were provided to the wealthy or
aristocratic deceased, in the belief that such materials had
special graces and magical powers. An individual
mummy would require approximately 445 square yards
of material.
Throughout the wrappings semiprecious stones and
amulets were placed in strategic positions, each one guar-
anteed to protect a certain region of the human anatomy
in the afterlife. The linen bandages on the outside of the
mummy in later eras were often red in color. Later eras
provided royal bodies with glass net coverings or beaded
blankets. The mummy mask and the royal collars were
placed on the mummies last. The mask, called a CARTON-
NAGE, developed from earlier periods. Linen sheets were
glued together with resins or gum to shape masks to the
contours of the heads of the corpses, then covered in
stucco. These masks fitted the heads and shoulders of the
deceased. Gilded and painted in an attempt to achieve a
portrait, or at least a flattering depiction of the human
being, the masks slowly evolved into a coffin for the
entire body. The entire process took from 70 to 90 days,
although one queen of the Old Kingdom was recorded as
having been treated for 272 days. When it was ended, the
body was placed within its coffin, and the funerary rituals
could begin.
The funeral processions started from the valley tem-
ple of the ruler or from the embalming establishment
early in the morning. Professional mourners, called KITES,
were hired by the members of the deceased’s family to
wear the color of sorrow, blue-gray, and to appear with
their faces daubed with dust and mud, signs of mourn-
ing. These professional women wailed loudly and pulled
their hair to demonstrate the tragic sense of loss that the
death of the person being honored caused to the nation.
Servants of the deceased or poor relatives who owed the
deceased respect headed the funeral procession. They car-
ried flowers and trays of offerings, normally flowers and
foods. Others brought clothes, furniture, and the per-
sonal items of the deceased, while the SHABTISand funer-
ary equipment were carried at the rear. The shabtiswere
small statues in the image of the deceased placed in the
tomb to answer the commands of the gods for various
work details or services. With these statues available, the
deceased could rest in peace.
Boxes of linens and the clothes of the deceased were
also carried to the tomb, along with the canopic jars,
military weapons, writing implements, papyri, etc. The
TEKENUwas also carried in procession. This was a bundle
designed to resemble a human form. Covered by animal
skins and dragged on a sled to the place of sacrifice, the
tekenuand the animals bringing it to the scene were ritu-
ally slain. The tekenuwould have symbolized the actual
courtiers and servants sacrificed in the mortuary rituals
of the Early Dynastic Periods royal clans. The sem,or
mortuary priests, followed next, dressed in a panther or
leopard skin and wearing the traditional white linen robe
of his calling. The sempriest would be accompanied by a
retinue of other priests, such as the kapriests and oth-
ers, the actual embalmers. The coffin and the mummy
arrived on a boat, designed to be placed on a sled and
carried across the terrain. When the coffin was to be
sailed across the Nile to the necropolis sites of the west-
ern shore, two women mounted on either side. They and
the kites imitated the goddesses ISISand NEPHTHYS, who
mourned the death of Osiris and sang the original
LAMENTATIONS.
The family and friends of the deceased, an entire
populace if the mummy was that of a ruler or queen,254 mortuary ritualsMummy wigs, the human hair adornment found on Egyptian
mummified remains, used by men and women and changing
in style in the various historical eras.(Hulton Archive.)