Embalmers' Job Description:
Day 1 - Wash the inside and the outside of the body and cavity with water. Be sure you have gloves on! Pat dry with paper towels. Fill the body cavity with about one pound of salt. Then place the salt-filled body in a one gallon plastic bag and completely cover in salt. Seal the bag and store inside a plastic lidded container.
Day 14- After 15 days, open the sealed container and plastic bag. Remove the salt from the bag and from inside the cavity of the chicken. Ask the historians to record changes in body size, color and texture. Immediately refill the body cavity with salt, place it in the same plastic bag and refill the bag with salt. Reseal the bag tightly and put the bag into the plastic lidded container.
Day 28 - After 30 days, open the sealed container and plastic bag. Remove the salt from the bag and from inside the cavity of the chicken. Ask the historians to record changes in body size, color and texture. Immediately refill the body cavity with salt, place it in the same plastic bag and refill the bag with salt. Reseal the bag tightly and put the bag into the plastic lidded container.
Day 42 - Empty all the salt from the chicken cavity and wipe the salt from the body of the chicken. Ask the historians to record changes in body size, color and texture. Rub the chicken with vegetable oil and fill the body cavity with spices such as cinnamon nutmeg, allspice, and rose petals. Place a carved scarab, inside the body cavity. Cut unbleached muslin into 1" strips and use them to wrap the body tightly. Place protective amulets within the layers of muslin. The cloth layers should be wrapped repeatedly until the oil is completely covered by dry muslin. Tuck the last end of muslin stripping tightly into the wrappings and glue it. Seal the final muslin wrapped body with a brushed coating of polyurethane (to simulate resin) and allow it to air dry.
Additional Job Tasks:
- Design canopic jars.
- Design protective amulets.
- Design a scarab.
- Design a mummification guide.
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Canopic Jars
Internal organs were mummified separately from the rest of the body. Each organ was wrapped in linen and covered with a mask of the god that protected it. Then each mummified organ put in its own canopic jar. The lid of the jar also had the image of the god that protected each organ.
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Amulets and Scarabs
Ancient Egyptians wore charms called amulets for good luck. They believed amulets had magical properties and helped protect the body from the evil spirits. Several hundred amulets have been found on a single mummy.
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Eye of Horus
Ancient Egyptians believed that Horus had his eye miraculously restored after losing it in a fight against evil. The eye symbol became connected to healing. It was thought to protect the mummy's health and give the mummy new vitality.
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Winged Heart Scarab
The Egyptians believed that intelligence came from the heart not from the mind. The Winged Heart scarab made sure the mummy went into the afterlife with all its wits intact.
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The Scarab Beetle
When an Egyptian was embalmed, the heart was removed and embalmed separately and the scarab beetle was put in its place.
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