Wikimedia Commons / Daderot Child mummy and sarcophagus, Egypt, 6th century BC, polychromed sycamore and fig wood, linen, faience beads

Mummification is a process. Through it, the skin and flesh of a corpse can be preserved. The process can occur either naturally, or it can be intentional. If it occurs naturally, it is the result of cold (as can be found in a glacier), acid (as can be found in a bog) or dryness.

Intentional mummification was common in ancient Egypt, especially for burying Egyptian pharaohs. It takes about 70 days to completely mummify a dead body. The first step is to push a sharp rod up the nose and into the brain. From there, the brain is broken up into tiny pieces and removed through the nose. Next, they make a hole in the body to remove all the organs except for the heart. Jars which had the heads of gods on top were used to store the organs. The hole was then filled with linen and spices and the body was left under a salt to become dry. Later, after 40 days the body was wrapped in linen bandages. Priests surrounded the body while it was being wrapped and said spells. After the mummifying process was complete, a mask was placed over the head so it can be known in the afterlife.

Mummies were ground up into a powder, called Mumia which was used as a drug.

See also: Mummy

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