mummymake

The First Egyptian Mummies
An activity from the Ancient Egypt Kit. Museum of Science

OVERVIEW

Students dehydrate organic material such as flowers and fruit by burying them in salt.

BACKGROUND

A mummy is the preserved body of an animal or human in which some of the soft tissues did not decay after death. Mummies have been found all around the world, from England to Alaska, from China to Peru. Mummification happens when bacteria cannot grow inside a dead body. Bodies can mummify if they are frozen or if they are buried in wet, boggy soil. The most famous mummies come from Egypt; they were preserved by drying out the body after death.

The first Egyptian mummies were made naturally by burying bodies in sand. The hot dry sand and the warm desert winds quickly dried out the body so it did not decay. However, as the tombs grew bigger, bodies came in contact with the air and began to decompose. The Egyptians began a new process of mummification. After a person's death, the Egyptian priests removed the person's organs and packed the body with natron, a type of salt found along the Nile River. After 40 days, the natron removed most of the water from the body tissues. The natron was then removed, and the body was smeared with resin to seal the skin and prevent water from getting in. Now the body was ready to be decorated, wrapped in linen strips and placed in its tomb.

The ancient Egyptians believed in life after death, and that in order for the person's spirit to live forever, it needed to be able to recognize its body after death. Therefore, the body had to be preserved, or mummified.

RELATED TOPICS

Life Processes
Dehydration
World Religions

SAFETY

Advise students that they should not eat any fruit that is dried out during this mummification activity.

TIME

1/2 hour setting up mummification process
2 to 5 weeks for mummification
MATERIALS

1 Bag of salt
Mummy book
1 Apple
Other types of fruit
Small bowls

OBJECTIVES

Explore the process of dehydration.
Learn ancient Egyptian mummies were formed by drying out the bodies.

SET UP

There is only enough salt provided for one or two objects to be buried. If you are able to obtain more salt, each student or group of students can bury objects. For additional background on the Egyptian mummification process, refer to the Mummy book. Choose the objects that you will mummify. For flowers, it is best to choose a hardy plants such as a daisy, rather than a fleshy plant.

If possible, maybe you or your students can bring in dehydrated edible food items, such as raisins, prunes, dried apples or dried apricots. They can observe some of their properties of dehydrated materials and then enjoy a tasty treat.

PROCEDURE

Using the Mummy book, show students pictures of mummies from around the world. What is a mummy? What causes a body to become a mummy?
From the book on mummies, read the section on Egyptian mummies.
Discuss dehydration. Do students know any objects that are dehydrated? Students can compare and contrast certain fruits and their dehydrated counterparts, such as grapes and raisins, plums and prunes, apples and dried apples. If you and/or the students brought in examples, the class can examine the objects.
Brainstorm ideas on how you dry out these objects. Answers can include salting, baking, lying in the sun.
How can the class test out these ideas? Let students choose simple objects that they wish to dehydrate. If the choose something that might be too watery or smelly, such as a watermelon slice, discuss why it might be a bad choice. (Or if you are brave, set up the experiment and let the students discover the difficulties.)
Objects that are good to use for dehydration: flowers such as daisies, apple halves, grapes. Some classes have even used items such as uncooked chicken parts!
In a small cup or bowl, students will pour about 1-2 inches of the salt. Then they will place the object in the cup and pour more salt over the object until the object is covered. With a permanent marker or masking tape, students should label the bowl with the name of the object and the date.
As controls for the experiment, have the students set aside objects not to be dehydrated. They can observe how the object would decompose if exposed to the air.
Place objects in a corner of the classroom where they will not be disturbed. Do not cover the cups or bowls so water can evaporate.
Students can check on their mummies after 2 weeks. Students will begin to notice the salt hardening around the fruit as the salt begins to absorb the fruit's moisture. The dehydration effects will be more dramatic if they wait until 4 weeks. After all, the ancient Egyptian embalmers waited approximately six weeks for their mummies to dry out.

EXTENSIONS

Frozen Mummies. Freezing objects is another method of mummification. Many people and thousands of animals have been found preserved in frozen regions. Students can experiment with putting objects in the freezer. How do the frozen objects compare with their dehydrated counterparts? What happens to the object when it is taken out of the freezer and left to thaw?

Exploring Decomposition. While studying mummification, students may be interested in looking at the process of decomposition. If objects become mummified by being dried out, what happens to objects that are in moist, wet environments? During the mummification experiment, student could put objects in a sealed ziploc bag and compare the results. This is a good activity if you are completing these lessons during dry seasons. Your classroom may not have enough humidity to decompose the fruit that is left out in the air as a control.

Mummies from Around the World. Mummies have been found throughout the world, from many different time periods and cultures. Students can research other cultures to see how they made mummies. They can also investigate the beliefs and customs of the people and why they mummified bodies. Good books include the Eyewitness Mummy book or Mummies and Their Mysteries by Charlotte Wilcox.

Mummy Fears and Mummy Etiquette. Spend some time discussing students' questions and concerns about mummies. Some students, particularly younger ones, might confuse pictures of actual mummies with images from horror movies. While certain pictures of mummies may startle children, they should realize mummies cannot come back to life. Charlotte Wilcox in her book Mummies and Their Mysteries provides an interesting discussion on how many cultures and religions ask that the bodies and pictures of dead people be treated with respect and dignity.

Food Dessicator. Maybe you or a student's family has a food dessicator that can be brought to school for a demonstration. People use these dessicators to dry out a variety of foods.

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Created: June 24, 1998
Updated: October 17, 2000

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