Mummies

Cryonics- [krahy-on-iks]


–noun ( used with a singular verb )
the deep-freezing of human bodies at death for preservation and possible revival in the future.


Mummy- [muhm-ee]

noun, plural -mies, verb, -mied, -my·ing.

–noun

1.

the dead body of a human being or animal preserved bythe ancient Egyptian process or some similar method ofembalming.

2.

a dead body dried and preserved by nature.

3.

a withered or shrunken living being.

1. In what parts of the world have mummies been found?

Mummies have been found all over the world. The most famous place that mummies have been found and the place people usually think mummies come from is Egypt. In Egypt people would mummify dead kings/pharaohs in large tombs to prepare them for the afterlife. There are also mummies in Northern Chile. Anthropologist Bernardo Ariaza said that in Chile they invented mummufication to extend the lives of their dead children.

2. In what types of places (physical geography and climate) have mummies been found?

Since nature has a way of preserving dead bodies mummies are found all over the world. Some places of intentional mummufication are Egypt and Chile; though, more mummies have been made by nature unintentionally. There have been many mummies found in northern Europe recovered from bogs, and also u the Andean peaks there have been mummies that have been frozen for thousands of years and have stayed there. 

3. How did Ancient Egyptians preserve their dead

· First, purify the body by washing it with water.

· Make an incision on the left side of the body, below the heart.

· Remove the liver, lungs, intestines, and stomach. Leave the heart intact, as the deceased will require the heart to travel to the spirit world.

· Put each of the 4 organs you have removed into its own canopic jar.

· Insert the hooked tool into the deceased's nostril and pull the brain out through the nose. The brain can be discarded.

· Liberally cover the body in natron (a natural salt, composed of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate with traces of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate). The natron will dehydrate the body and allow the blood to drain from it.

· Allow the body to drain for 40 days.

· When the body is fully dehydrated, wrap natron-soaked gauze or bandages around it. Make sure to cover the body completely from head to toe.

· Decorate the mummy with an appropriate designs or mask that fits the social station the deceased had in life

4. Why do you think ancient Egyptians took such care to embalm their dead if the desert could do the job for them?

The Ancient Egyptians probably didn't know that that the desert could mummify their dead. They also wanted to show respect for dead kings and give them a happy afterlife. In Egyptian tombs, kings were buried with all sorts of food, gold and other luxuries. This was because they wanted the kings to have a good journey to the afterlife. If they just through the kings into the desert it would be a bad trip to the afterlife and the gods might have feared the gods or the new king getting mad at them. 

5. What features of the natural environment can cause bodies to be mummified unintentionally?

Many different environments can mummify dead. One of the most common ones are ice and snow. Ice is obviously something that can preserve a dead body easily because when somebody dies in the middle of a freezing mountain everything in the body becomes frozen and over thousands of years it is preserved. Another natural environment that can preserve are bogs. The swamps can perfectly preserve the  bodies. 

6. According to current scientific beliefs, what are some reasons people were intentionally mummified.

In England and Europe historians believe mummies there were sacrificed and left to the bogs to be mummified. In ancient Egypt it was to prepare the kings for the afterlife, and in Chile they mummified their dead children so they could live longer lives.