Mummification

Students will recreate the process of Egyptian mummification ‘embalming’ and ‘wrapping’ their own mummies. This activity is designed to give students ownership over their learning process by allowing them to understand the mummification process through hands-on learning.  Students will start by removing the organs of their mummies and placing them in canopic jars.  They will then decorate canopic jars in a fashion similar to the Egyptians.  After that they will dessicate their mummies using natron (a natural egyptian salt) and wrap their mummies in linen and resin (glue).

Students will present their model to their classmates and teacher and discuss their thought process and making experience. We will end each day with a reflection activity to allow students to store and organize the information learned and help them think about how their application of these scientific concepts can be used and is relevant to real world situations. Student’s learning is supported by allowing students to learn vicariously from other students and not only depend on the instructors for help.

Challenge: Students will recreate the Egyptian mummification process

Objectives: Understand the purpose behind and the process of mummification

Materials

• Dolls

• Salt

• Scissors

• Jars

• Markers

• Linen

• Salt

• Plastic balls

• Pipe cleaners

• Plates

• Tape

• Googly eyes

• Feathers

• Glue

• Hot glue guns

• Beads

• Pipe cleaners

Embalming the body

Step 1: Make a cut on the left side of the abdomen and remove the internal organs (lungs,stomach, intestine, liver)....5 minutes

Step 2: Label and decorate your canopic jars as the following….20 minutes

1. Imsety - a human head, protected the liver.

2. Qebehsenuef - the head of a falcon and guarded the intestines.

3. Hapy - a baboon head that protected the lungs.

4. Duamutef - the head of a jackal that guarded the stomach.

The plastic ball should be used as a the ‘head’ of the canopic jar

Step 3: Place the organs in appropriate canopic jars with a little bit of natron to preserve them

Step 4: Stuff the body with natron

Step 5: Place body in natron for 40 days

Step 6: Once 40 days have passed wrap organs in linen and place back in jars

Step 7: Remove the salt from the body and stuff it with linen

Wrapping the body

Step 8: Create a talisman using beads, feathers, pipe cleaners

Step 9: Wrap the bodies using linen and resin (glue) and place the talisman between the fabric

Step 10 : Decorate the linen using egyptian symbols