Reading Practice 13

[1] The word ‘mummy’ is thought to derive from the Persian word mummiya which means bitumen, the black material of ancient bodies. Mummification has occurred all around the world. Body purification began in South American cultures, thousands of years before the Egyptians. The world’s oldest mummies were created by small fishing communities known as the Chinchorro people in Northern Chile and Peru. Their mummification techniques indicate a developed and sophisticated culture. The Chinchorro people removed the skin, brain and internal organs of the body, dried the bones and reinforced the mummy with reeds and twigs. The skin was then reapplied with paste and a clay mask covering the face. The mummies were buried in groups according to family. Many mummies were unborn babies or children, so it is considered that it was their mothers who first began the mummification techniques to keep their dead children with them. Mummification was later practiced by the Peruvian Nazca and Chiribaya cultures of the South American desert regions, as well as the Chachapoyas. They are also known as the ‘Cloud People’ whose mummies were discovered high above the Amazon rain forests.

 

[2] There is also evidence of mummification dating back to the Inca period as freeze-dried mummies have been discovered in the Andes, surrounded by gold and silver objects, thought to have been religious offerings. The Incas mummified their royalty and considered them to be still living with them as they were paraded during events and considered advisers in difficult times. These mummies were destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors who refused to accept the mummies as living beings. They also destroyed the Guanches and Berber mummies of North Africa. Studies of very few of these remaining mummies indicate a link with the mummification practices of ancient Egypt.

 

[3] In modern society, mummification is generally associated with ancient Egypt. The first interest in mummies started at the beginning of the 19th century when affluent tourists returned from Egypt for ‘mummy unwrapping parties’. Mummies then became popular in works of fiction and Hollywood movies. It is important to remember, however, that mummies are in fact preserved bodies – once living people – who were preserved in the hope of an immortal life.

 

[4] The process of mummification begins with the brain being removed, along with the organs. The hollow body was dried out with salts and the skin was treated with special oils and resins. The remains were then treated to restore a lifelike appearance and then wrapped in linen material. One famous mummy (Wah) was wrapped in 375 square meters of linen. Once placed in a coffin, a funeral ceremony then took place to ‘reactivate’ the spirit in the mummy and there were chants and prayers for immortality. The mummy was then buried in the ground with supplies of food and drink. Although the rich were buried in special tombs, most mummies were buried in the sand near the River Nile. The hot sand and arid climate naturally preserved the skin, hair, and nails of these mummies. The bodies of mummies buried in tombs actually decomposed much faster, so a new means of body preservation was developed. Discoveries in the region of Hierakonpolis indicate that mummification in linen dates back to about 3400 BC. However, the new method of mummification began around 2600 BC when the Egyptians began to remove the internal organs to prevent fast decay. Over the next 3000 years, their embalming and mummification techniques were developed and mastered.

 

[5] In Europe, some mummies have been found, such as frozen bodies discovered high in the mountain topics, in peat bogs, the Takla Makan desert in China, the Eurasian Steppes and in Greenland, those of which are only 500 years old. Modern scientific techniques such as DNA analysis, CAT-scans, x-rays, electron microscopy and endoscopy prove to be a very safe means of studying ancient remains. They can now be used to provide valuable information regarding lifestyle, profession, relationships, health, disease, diet and even drug use of these ancient people whose remains we have discovered.

 

[6] During excavations, archaeologists were usually rushing to find treasures of great value and worth. However, the mummified remains of the people who established these great civilizations are in fact the most important legacy of the ancient world and must be remembered and venerated as such.