•

..•
•• To the reader:
Welcome tu rhe DK ELT Graded Readcrs: These readers are
•• differenr. They explore aspects of the world around us: its
historv, geography, science '" and a lor of other things. And
•• thev show the different wavs in which people Íive 110\\/, and
lived in the pasr.

•• These DK ELT Graded Readers gíve vou material for

reading for intormation, and reading for pleasure. You are using

•• yC)LJr English te} do sornerhing real. The illustrations will help

vou understand rhe texr, and also help bring the Reader to lite.

•• There is a glossary ro hclp you understand rhe special words for

this topíe. Listen to rhe cassette or CD as well, and you can

•• really cnter the world of thc Olympic Gamos, the Titanic,

or the Trojan War '" and a lor more. Choose the topies that
interest you, inlprcwe your English, and learn something '"
•• a11 at the same ti me.
Enjoy che series!

•• To the teacher:
•• This series provides varied reading practice at five levels of
•• language diffieulty, from elementar)' to FCE levd:
BEC;INNER

•• ELHA ENTt\ R'{ A

ELavIENT/\RY B

•• INTERlvlEDIATE
UPPER INTERi'AEDIATE

•• The language syllabus has been designed tel suit the

factual nature of the series, and includes a wider
vocabulary range than is usual with ELT readers:
•• language linked with the speeific theme of eaeh
book is included and glossed. The language

•
••
seheme, and ideas for exploiting the
material (including the recorded
material) both in and out of

•
••
class are contained in the
Teacher's Resource Book.
We hope yOll and your

•• stuclents enjoy using

this series.

•
•
 People from the Past
Mummies are interesting for manv different
reasons. We a11know we are going to die, so we
think about death frorn time to time. We mav
have different ideas about what we will experience
after death, but we know what will happen to our
Teenage hoy boches. Most will be burned, or buried, and
Sorne Roman allowed to decay. However, a few people over the
mumrmes were centuries have managed to chcat this process.
decorated with a
They have become mummies.
realisric painting
Sometirnes this has happened naturally. Well~
of the person
who had died. preserved bodies have been dug out of bogs in
various countries, especially Denmark, In certain
types of bog, there is no air below the suríacc , and
hardly any decay takes place. The skin of rhese
bodies looks rather like leather but the long-dcad
faces are recognizable. Scientists can discover
many things about the way they lived and the way
they died. Bodies have also been found in hot, dry
deserts and on icy mountains.
For bodies to decay, both aír and water are
needed. Take away one of these, and the process
can be slowed down or even stopped. This was
. discovered centuries ago, and various peoples
IIlurnrnified their dead for religious reasons.

Animals
The ancient
Egyptians treated
cat.s like gods.
They often
mummified cats'
bodies when
they died.

4
 ..
"
...". The most tamous of these were the ancient
Egvptians. But other peoples, such as the Incas
of South América and the Pazyryks of Siberia,
Objects
Everyday things
were often buried

.-
....
with mummies .
also used to preserve dead bodies. These
societies believed that it was irnportanr to

"....
preserve the body for alife after death, and the
mummies were usually buried with things to
take with rhern: bowls, statues, jcwellerv, and
so on. Of course, the process of mumrnification
" takes time and a lor of work, and so costs
'"'" monev. Ir was only for the rich. ()rdinary people

....
" had to take their chance after death.
In more recent times, sorne bodies have been
preserved, not to improve their own position in
,". the afterlife, but to influence those who are still

.... alive. Later, we shall100k at two very fanlous

peop1e who were rnurnnüfied after they died -
,. Lenin and Evita Perón. But first, let liS look at
Important doIl
Figures, sueh as
how the ancient Egyptians ¡nade a nlulunly.
.".. this Peruvian doil,
were buried with

.....'" 771is l11ummy \Vos klLll1d in (7 DunÍsh bogo

ft Ís the lxxly ofu mCll1 !FhodÍcd more
thun 1,500,/ccl1:S (lgo.
a rnummy te)
bring the dead
person luek in

-.....
"
the afterlife.

..
"•
.•.
..•..
."..
..
"
 w
'"w.,
Making a Mummy
Temple guardians
A chief priest
represented the
The ancient Egyptians had one of the grcatest
civilizations rhe world has ever known.
'".....,
king and the gods.
He looked after
the temple and
Everybody has heard of the buildings they left
behind. The pyramids are only the most famous
of rnany others. The ancient Egvptians'
..
'-'

performed religious
ceremonies.
civilization lasted for 3,000 years - a thousand ""
years longer than the tirne from the birth of '-"
Christ to now.
These people had strong beliefs about gods
and life after death. They believed that if a dead
persori's spirit could reeognize its prcserved body,
-..,"
"
it would live forever in the atterlife. This belief w
has given us another itern that we eonneet with
aneient Egypt - mummies, ""
This, however, was only for the rich,
because only rieh people could afford the
w"
proeess of mUI11Inifieation. 1t was done by speeial
priests, and people also believed that, if the
'""
W
priests said the right prayers, this w()Uld help lit
to decide what happened to the person's spirit W
after death.
As soon as the person died, a servant would
go to the ehief priest. The other priests would be ."'".,
ealled, and they would a11go to their workshop
on the west bank of the River Nile. "
An Egyptian pricst At the saIne time, other servants would go ""
Embalming
to the house of the dead person, colleet the
body and take it to the workshop. Everything "w•
.".
This means using had to be done very quiekly beeause Egypt is a
chemicals or hot eountry and the proeess of decay happens
perfumes to stop fast. Today, Ín many hot eountries, there is a
a body from rule that bodies must be buried or burned within '-
decaying, or 24 hours of death.
w
breaking clown.
..,
'-'
6 ~
• -.----------------------r--------.
•• At the workshop, the body was laid on a special

•• table, ready for the ceremonv to begin. The

chief priest would put on a special mask, shaped
•• like the head of a j ackal. This was to represent
Anubis, the god of rnummification. Then, he
•• would slowly wash the body while another

•• priest read out religious phrases írom a special

book. When the body was clean enough, the

•• ernbalrning process could begin.

First, one of the priests took a long, thin Tools

•• metal hook and pushed it slowly up the body's

nose. He used the hook to break through the
These tools were
used in a process

•• bone between the top of the nose and the brain.

Then he took another hook, pushed this up the
which people
thought would

•• nose in the sarne way, and pulled out sorne of

the brain. IIe did the same thing again and
help the mummy
to eat and drink

•• again, until the skull was emptv,

in the afterlife.

••
••
•..
•
••
•• This ancietit Eqyptian painting sliows a body beinq washed.
Jackal mask
•• At embalming
ceremonies, jackal-
•• headed masks,
like this clav one,

•• represented
Anubis, god of

•• Aftcr bcing wC1shed,the body ¡vasleft to dry.

mummificarion.

•• '7
 ""
All of these pieces of brain were sirnply thrown
away beca use the priests did not understand
."•.
what it was foroThey thought the heart was the
centre of thinking, and of feeling. The heart
..--
was left inside the body when the other organs
were removed.
Before this, the mourh was clcaned, and
••
filled with pieces of cloth, and the nose was
filled with wax. A small piece of cloth was
"•
placed over each eye, and the eyelids were
pulled shut over them.
"•
The next job was not done by a priest,
because it was seen as dirty. A luan carne into
"w•
the workshop and used él very sharp stone to cut
•
through the skin down one side of the body.
"lit
ti;

"•
W

"..
lncision
A cut was usually
..
..,.".
made clown the
left side of the
body.

"•
""
.•.,
Embalming knife
This knife has él
sharp blade made
.,
.,
of flint, él hard
sUme.
flop}' wos (l boboon
god who guorded
thc 1l1ngs.
I1JC lolcon god
Qcbehsclluclguordcd
thc Úl tes tin cs.
""
W

8 .,"
..
•• Then he removed the stomach, liver, lungs, and
•• intestines. As each of these carne out it was
wrapped in cloth and put in a canopic jar - a
•• special container made in the shape of a godo
This was the end of the firsr pan of the
•• process. Apart frorn rhe heart, everything from

•• inside the body had been taken out, leaving

onlv skin, flesh, and bones. Next, the body had
Natron
This natural salt is

•.. to be dried, because fluid speeds up decay. In

much the same way as people today put down
found by the edges
of desert lakes .

•• salt to suck spilled wine out of a carpet, the

priests used a natural salt called natron. This
•.. was pilcd up over the body. It would take 40
days to dry ir out completely. On1y then wou1d
•• it be ready for the next step.

.•.
•
••
-•.
•• Stuffing
This X~ray of a

•.. mummy shows

linen stuffing

•• replacing sorne
of the organs.

•• Sons of Horus

•• The four gods who

guarded canopic

••
j ars were the sons
of Horus, god
of the sky.
•• 111l.5cty \VOS (7 humcll1~
¡fkc god ¡¡'hc) guordcd
The jack(7¡~he(7dedgod
Duamutef guarded

•• the Jiver. the stomoch.

 •..
When the body was drv, the priests removed the
natron. Without fluid, it had becorne much
...•.,
thinner, They opened up the cut along the side,
and filled up the space. Various rnaterials might •
be used - cloth, sawdust, or even sand. Then "•
they sewed up the cut. The process he re is
••
similar to stuffing a turkey, and done for the
saine reason - to help the body keep its shape.
After 40 days under salt, the skin was very dry.
.•.
:'%r:<,

•'"
M' The priests fetched oils and spices and rubbed
Religious figures
These figures lay
on the body to
them into the skin ro keep ir from cracking.
Then, the chief priest was ready to begin
wrapping the body. He took thin pieces of eloth
-w•
guard the places
where rhe organs
had been removed.
and wound them around each finger in turno
Then, more cloth was wound around the anns
and 1egs. Finallv, the whole body was wrapped
••
tt
up. In a11,about 140 metres of cloth was used.
•
"•
""
Scarab beetle .•.
..
"..
"
Wadjet eye
••
W
Amulets
These were worn U •
for good 1uck.
People believed
••
the wadjer eye
kept bad things
••
away.
.•,
10
•
 •
.' •• As the bandages were put on, the priests
brushed them with resin - the sap of pine trees

•• - to make them stick together. When the resin

dried, it would set hard and stiff. They also
•• stopped sometirnes to say religious words or hold
special cerernonies. At certain places in the
•• bandages, small pieces of jewellery with a

•• religious meaning were placed. Sorne of the

bandages also had religious writing on them.
Nest of coffins
Sornetímes, the

•• The whole process was very cornplex, and ir

too k seventy days frorn the time of the dearh
coffin was put into
a bigger coffin,

•• until the wrapping was finished. You can see

now why mummíficatíon was only for the rich-
which might then
be put into an

•• it kept a whole team of priests busy for over two

months. It cost a great deal of money.
even bigger coffin,
and so on.

•• At the end of all of this, the bandaged body

was placed in a coffin.
••
••
•• •
••
••
••
••
••
•• •
••
 ..,
A scribe, or writer, then handed the priest a
book. Ancient Egyptian books v/ere made of
..
v
papyrus, a type of paper made from reeds. This
was stuck together into a long roll. This book
..,W
was called The Book of the Dead. This was
placed inside the coffin.
.,
v

...'""
The ancient Egyptians believed that dead
people had to read the book to be safe on rheir

Scribes
journey to the Hall of the Two Truths.
This was where the destination of the dead .",
In ancient Egypt,
person was decided. The god Osiris watched "-
onlv scribes could
write. They were
over everything. In the hall was a large set of
scales. The dead person's heart was placed on
one side and "the feather of truth" on the other.
"..,
v
.•.,
highly respected
people.

Hapy,lhe
".".,
baboon god ..,
'""
U
w
w
"The Devourer AnubÍs, god of w
otthe Dead" 11'1 unimitica tion y
waitinq to eat
the liearts 01'
bad pcople "..
ti

Figures of fear 6J
Figures like this
hippo were put in '"w
w
the tomb ro
frighten people
away.
....
~
oi truth dead person
'-'
12
'"
~
 ••
Anubis, the jackal-headed god of murnmification,
•• carefullv,
warched the scales The dead person

•• had to answer questions about the bad things

they had done. This was to see how heavy their

••
heart was. If it was not too full of bad things,
li
the person was allowed to ve in the afterlife.
Underworld
People thoughr
•• Back in this world, the dead person's farnily
filled a tomb with food and treasures for the
that everyone
passed through this
•• rnummv to use in the afterlife. They believed lanel on their way
to the afterlife.
•• that you could use things you owned on earth
after death, For this reason, Egyptian tornbs They began theír
journey by crossing

•• usua11ycontained valuable objects. This made

thern a great target for grave robbers.
the River Nile.

•• The families tried to prevent this happening

in a number of ways. T0111bswere built in a way
•• that 111adethenl very difficult to get into. (_Jften,
there \vere hidden passages that led to the room
•• where the coffin layoThings were written on the

•• walls, telling robbers of the terrible bad luck that

would COlne their way if they stole anything.

•• Horrible carved figures were put in different

places to frighten thern.

•• N one of these things worked, of course. Over

the centuries, robbers broke into rnany t0111bs
•• looking for valuable things. They even broke into
the pyranlids where the pharaohs were buried.
•• Because pyralnids were so obvious, later pharaohs

•• turned to 111uchless public tOlnbs cut into natural

rock, usually entered by a slnall holeo But a11of

•• these were found and robbed - except one.

Nobody knew for certain, but many people
God of death
Osiris was king

•• believed that sornewhere in the Valley of the

Kings layan untouched tonlb, filled with
of the afterworld.
People thought

•• unbelievably valuable objects. This was the tOlllb

of the young king Tutankhanlun.
the afterworld \Vas
like Egypt, but

•• better.

.------------------'------------------------~----------~
 The Mummy's Curse
Howard Carter was a lnan with one idea in
his mind. He wanted to find the t0111bof
Tutankhamun. This pharaoh had died voung, and
his tornb had been so well hidden that no grave
robber had ever found it. There were stories of
Howard Carter great treasures hidden there, and Cárter was
Carter travelled to warned of the curse: "Death cornes on wings
Egypt as a young to he who enters the t0111bof a pharaoh."
artist and became He was looking in Egypt's Valley of the
ínterested in
Kings. In the rocks and eliffs there are many
investigating
ancient Egypt.
openings, rhe entrances to tombs of pharaohs and
other rich people, a11robbed many centuries ago.
Carter's men dug in the heat and the dust for five
years, but found nothing.
AH the work thev did was paid for by a
wealthy Englishman, Lord Carnarvon. But even
he felt now that nothing would be found. He
called Carter to his castle in England, and told
him that there could be no more money.

Pharaoh
The pharaohs
were the kings
of ancient Egvpt.
The people
believed them to
be living gods.

14
 .•".
•• However, while still in England, Cárter was
looking over S0111ernaps one night, and noticed
•• a srna11area that had not been dug. It was near
the entrance to a large tomb, of Ramesis VI,
•• and seemed unlikely. But he persuaded Lord
Carnarvon to pay for one last season of digging,
•• and rerurned to Egypt.

•• On Novernber 1, 1922, Cárter and his men

started clearing the atea. Three days later, as

•• they dug away some small stones, a spade hit

sornething solido 1t was a stone step cut into the
•• rock. They kept digging and uncovered 15 more.
At rhc bottorn there was a door with royal
Tutankhamun
This pharaoh ruled
•• markings on it. Could it be the entrance to
Tutankhamun's tornb?
from around 1336
BC to 1327 BC.
•• He was probably
around 16 years

•• old when he dicd.

••
••
••
••
••
•• Valley of
the Kings
•• To avoid grave
robbers, many

•• pharaohs chose
this remo te place
•• for their tornbs.

•• 1 c:
 Cárter said later that he found it ditficult not ro
••
break the door clown, there and then. But 11efelr ••
that this would not be fair to Lord Carnarvon.
He went to Luxor, the nearesr city, and sent a
telegrarn telling him the good news. Back at the
....
•
tomb, the workmen filled up the stairs with stones
again. Carter put guards there to keep thieves • ••
away, and waitcd,
Carnarvon
This rieh English
Todav, you could catch aplane frorn Englanel
and be in Egypt within six hours. In 1922, ir was
••
lord visited Egvpt
for his health. He
different. Although there were aeroplanos, most
people srill had te) rravel by ship. It was three
••
became interested
in tombs as a wav
weeks befo re Carnarvon reached Luxor. ••
tu pass the time.
The .next day, the \VOrknlen dug out the
st()nes again, and the t\V() rnen went do\vn the ••
steps. Both \vere excited. But when they lc)()ked at
the door 1110reclosely, they realized sOlnething ••
that C:arter hadn't noticed before - the dc)or had
been forced open, and closed again. SCHnebody ••
had been there before thern, perhaps thousands
of years befc:n·e.
••..
They carne to another eloor. To their
disappointrnent, they saw that this one, too, had
been forced open and closed again. Carter, \vllose
••
hands \Vere shaking, lnade él SI11<111 ()pening in the ••
door. {-le he Id a candle to this anel looked inside.
At first it \vas difficult to see, but as his eyes got ••
used t() the hght, he began to see - in his own
words - "strange animals, statues, ane! gold - ••
liieroglyphs
Eaeh symbol in
everywhere the glint of gold."
•
this aneient
He was so excited that, for él while, he
ccmldn't speak. In the end, Carnarvon asked, ((Can "•
Egyptian wríting
stands for a word
or a sound.
you see an ything?"
"Yes," answered Carter. "Wonderfu 1things.))
1-1egave Lord Carnarvon the candle.
..
•
e
••
16
•
..•
•• This door was broken clown as well, and the
men entered the room, It was paeked wirh

•.. valuable things, but everything looked quite

untidy. Thieves had been there, but it
•• seemed they had been ehased away and
very little had been taken. The pharaoh's chair Tomb jewels

•.. was there, made of gold and silver. There was a

golden eabinet holding his canopic
This vulture
represented the

•• jars, eaeh one made of gold.

goddess Nekhabet,
and this scarab

•• There were rnodel boats, one of

thern set with many valuable
beetle represented
the sun god

•.. stones, small statues of his Khepri.

servants, boxes eontaining his

•• clothes and hundreds of orher things.

The two rnen were astonished. When they

•• got to the far side of the room, they found

another closed door. They wanted to know
•• what was on the other side of this. But
first, everyth ing would have to be
•• earefully paeked and sent to Cairo.

•.. Afterlife of
luxury
The ancient
••
.•.
Egyptians filled the
king's tomb with
treasure, such as
golden sandals and

•• precious jewels, for

him to use in the

•• afterlife.

••
••
•• Ihe 1'ointl1]gs cm this treosure
Tutonklwmun dett>Gtinghis cnemies.

• •
 Kingly killer "..
Although rhe
cobra can kill
When Carter returned to his house that
night, he found his servants were very
excited and afraid. There was a lot of
•
W
people if
disturbed, it shouting going on. "
also helps to "What's wrong?" he said. ""
keep towns free
uf rats and mice.
"You have opened the tornb," onc of
•
•"
thern said, "and brought bad luck to us."
He told Carter thar a cobra had
swallowed his pet canary, Carter had
bought the bird because he hoped that its "w
song would cheer up his emptv house. Ir
had seemed like a good idea, because when
he saw it, one of his servants had said, "It's a
bird of gold that wil] bring luck. This year we
-...,
"..
will find, inshallah (God willing), a tomb full
of gold." Less than a week after this, the workers "
discovered the entrance to the tornb. Because
they didn't know whose tornb ir was, they called
•"
Royal dummy
it "rhe tornb of the golden bird". "
.".
Statues of
Tutankhamun
often show a cobra
on his headdress.
On that Novelnber day, when Carter
opened the tcnnb, a cobra canle into rhe house
and swallowed the canary. That was \vhy the
"
6;
This wooden
servants were shouting. ti
statue was dressed
in his dorhes in An official report fr(nn the titne makes
sorne interesting points. 1t says that cobras are
"
W
the tomb.
rare in Egypt, and are seldonl seen in the winter .,"
- which was when the tOlub \Vasopened. Ir a1so
notes that, in ancient titnes, they were the
syn1bol of royalty, and that each pharaoh wore
..•
a rnodel of él cobra on his forehead. This \Vasto "
W
represent his power to strike at his enemies.
However, Carter was not at all worried. The
..,
ir

next day, he went back to the ton1b and st'arted

to clear the first roorn.
..,
~

..,
.,
U

18 W
More than a kilometre of cotton padding was
used to wrap up the precious things inside.
It took three months to ernpty the room. By
this time, news of the discovery had gone round
the world. On the day they opened the third
door, rhe roorn was full of invited guests.
Everybody was very excited. Carter made a small
opening at the top of the door and, using a
torch, looked in. He was astonished. On the Cairo
Egypt's capital
other side, less than a metre away, he CQuId see a
city grew up 1,000
wall of solid gold. When the door was removed,
years after the
Carter and Carnarvon realized that the "wall" death of the last
was the front of a shrine which had be en built pharaoh.
around the coffin. lt was made of wood and
covered with gold, and filled l110Stof the rOOI11.

Howard Cattcr (Ictt) une! bis assistants

catetullv wtap o fjft)~s¡zc stotue.

t, "
'. .. .

'\'
 W

.,
4W

..,'"
--'"
"
'"
W

Gold cabinet
This royal shrine
..,'"
filled nearly a11of ..,'"
the third room. ..,
"
~"
The shrine had wide doors at the front. Carter
removed these, and they found that inside was
"w
w
another shrine. When this was opened, they ..,
found él third one inside, and inside that, a
fourth. This last one contained él beautiful red ..,'w
sarcophagus - a stone cotfin. Inside this were
'-'
three coffins, each shaped like a mummy. The ..,
last one held the body of King Tutankhanllln.
Carter later said that opening the coffins '"
was the most difficult job he ever elidoThere '"
was very little space in front of the shrine, and "
W
the coffins fitted very tightly inside each other, W
Also, special oils had been poured over each
one as it was placed inside, and these had now
..,
W

Kingly coffin
The míddle coffin
hardened and had stuck thern a11together.
"
was made of wood
covered with gold
The coffins became more and more
valuable as thev got smaller. The first and '"
...,
\1
and pieces of second one were of vvood covered with gold and
glass. valuable stones. The last one was rnade of over v
W
1,110 kilograIns of solid gold.
..,W
20
'"
 ••
•• Ir was then that, manv people think, the curse
of TutankhatTIun struck again. Less than five
•• months after the t0111bwas opened, Lord
Carnarvon was bitten on the cheek by a
•• mosquitn. It raised a slTIa11lump on his cheek,
and he thought norhing of it. However, the next
•• day he cut open the bite while shaving. This Deadly

•• became infected and Carnarvon developed a fever

fever. Today, this could be treated, but there were These are Lord

•• no drugs that could help at the time. Lord

Carnarvon becarne very il1. His family travelled
Carnarvon's razor
and death

•• fr0111England to be with him. Then, early one

morning, it was all overo Lord Carnarvon died.
certificare, Even a
simple cut could
be deadly in the
•• At the very momenr of his death, a11the lights days before
in Cairo went out. They stayed out for severa! modern medicines.
•• hours, and nobody could explain why. Back at Lord
Carnarvon's horne in England, his dog Susie raised
•• her ears and howled once, then died.

•• Other deaths followed. A French scientist

who visited the tomb died after a fal1.An X~ray

•• specialísr on his way to examine Tutankhanlun's

111U111111y
died unexpectedly. Then, a wealthy

•• American becarne i11and died after visiting the

tC)111b.In 1972, fifty years after the tomb was

•• opened, the British M.uselllllasked to borrow son1e

of the treasures for an exhibition. Many Egyptians
•• did not think they should leave Egypt, but
per111iss10nwas given. One week after the Cairo
•• 111useU111 official signed the papers which allowed
the treasures to be rTIoved,he dropped dead.
Royal rnurnrny

•• On the other hand, Carter, the man who

Although the
riches in the
tomb were in
•• found the tOI11b,lived for another eighteen years.
And the tnan who unwrapped the 11111111111y, Dr
good condition,
Tutankhamun's
•• Douglas Derry, lived until he was well into his
eighties. So, is there a curse of Tutankhamun?
murnmy was
badly decayed.
•• "11
,-------------,-------------------------------------------- ~

'-'
Inca Emperors '-'
As the first 1ighr of the morning sun carne to the '-'
citv of Cuzco, the drurns started. People woke up, '-'
and they srniled and were happy. This was the
'--
21st of june, the shortest day of the ycar and the ..,
'-'
most important day in the Inca ernpire. 500 vears
'-'
ago thc Incas ruled (1 large part uf South America,
Inca empire
This empire frorn Colombia in the north all the way down rhe ..,
4W

covered parts uf Andes Mountains to the southcrn part of Chile. '-'

what are now The Incas believed in che sun as the one god, '-'
Colombia, Ecuador,
Peru, Bolivia,
Chile, amI
and thcy called ir Inri. They believed that the
sun was the father of the first Inca, ~v1anco Capac,
".._
and of his wife, MaIna ()cllo I-Iuaco. These, and '-'
Argentina. -..,
their children, \Vere sent to earth to help other
'-
people. This festival \Vas Inti Raimi. The Incas
believed that, by showing rhanks and gíving
-.
'"'"
Sun temples prescnts to Inti, surnrner would corne ag,ún and
Ternples to rhe
their crops would gn)\v. \1
Sun god \vere builr
Everyone in the Inca elnpirc gavc one third '-'
all over rhe empíreo
of all thcy produced to thc priests of the sun godo -.
lvlany of thcse plants and '-
anitnals \vere given at ~

special cerc1l1onies held at '-'

different tirnes uf rhe ye~.lr. '"
The Inti Raimi cereInonies
were the IllC)St irnpurtant
..,
'-

of thcrn all. '"

'"
--"
Temples \\'crc /111jft (JIcorcfi¡J]I'
shopcd bluck", o(stonc. Sun '"
'-'
temple, lI"tTc' (¡ficn (¡l/ce! wirh w
so/id gedd /))oclc'/~(){ \ cqctuh/c's, -.,
picccs o!corth, und uthcr
things conncclcc! \l"irh¡¿mmng.
w

22 ----------------------------- .-
\1

'"
 ••
•• The ordinary people did not understand the
changing of the seasons, but the priests did.

•• They had produced a calendar which divided

the year into 365 days, 12 rnonths, and 52

•• weeks. The weeks were each divided into seven

days of 24 hours. Each hour was made up of 60

•• minutes. The Inca calendar, in other words, was

exactly like our own. The priests knew when
•• the sun would begin to return, and how long
each day would be.
Inca year
The Incas

•• hacl a religious
festival for each

•• monrh. Inri Rairni

was held in [une,

•• as this is the
colclest month of

•• the year in South

América.

••
••
•• Sun disc
The Sun god was
•• However, the giving of gifts to the sun god still
represente el in rnany
Inca temples by

•• continued. The priests began to say words in

time to the beating of the
gold discs with
human faces.

•• drums. In the Holy Square, a

•• large crowd gathered. The

people were excited, but quiet

•• and respectful. Here and there a

child might cry out, but would

•• be quietened by its parents.

They wcre waiting for the

•• Procession of the Living Dead.

•• 23
 Llamas
At last, the crowd saw the white llamas that
••
The llama is
related to the always led the procession. There were hundreds
of llamas walking in lines, one after another.
••
camel. Llamas are
srill used in South
Arnerica for wool,
Each one was beautifullv brushed. Round their ••
meat, and transporto
necks were chains of flowers, and each llama
had a decorated cloth over its back. They ••
looked proud and dignified. Perhaps they
knew it was an important day. ••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
24 ••
 •• Behind the Ílamas carne the emperor, the Sapa
•• Inca. He sat on a litter, or platform, carríed by

•• priests, As he carne close, the people in the

streets fell to their knees, hid their faces in their

•• hands, and prayed. Ordinary people were not

allowed to look at the Sapa Inca.

•• After hirn Gime other litters, also carried by

priests. On each one was the mummified body

•• of él forrner Sapa Inca. When an emperor or

crnpress died, their internal organs were
Litters

•• removed. Then, their body was dried using

special herbs. After this, they were placed on a
These beds, or
srretchers, were

•• golden chair. With their ar111Scrossed in front of

used to carry the
mummies in

•• thern, and their heads looking down, they didn't processions.

look so different from when they were alive.

•• Favourite servants would allow themselves to be

killed in order to be with them in the afterlife.

•• Later, the 111Umm Y was carried to join its

ancestors in the Temple of the Sun. On state

•• occasions, and on religious festivals, they were

taken out and carried through the streets.

•• The people thought of each of these as

a son of the Sun godo They believed that the
•• living Sapa Inca got help and advice from these
mU111111ies. As the mummies passed by, the
•• people wept and called out words showing how
much they respected and loved thelu.
•• SOluetitues, a child luight forget what its

•• parents had said, and look up. He or she would

see that each Il1ulun1y wore a luask and was
Huari mummy
The Huari people

•• covered in a beautiful doth made from the soft

wool of the vicuna, a rclative of rhe llarna. But
Ji ved near Cuzco
before the Incas.
They, too,
•• the child would not see the dead eluperors'
faces. These wcre covered in golden rnasks,
mummified their
leaders.

•• which would protect thenl in the afterlife.

•• 25
 The procession went through the city and back
••
to the Temple of rhe Sun. There, the ernperor ••
moved from his litter to a golden chair and was
carried into the most holy place, the Golden ••
Courtyard. This was filled with statues of llamas
and of stalks of maize, a11of thern made out oí ••
solid gold. White llamas were then brought in
and killed, as presents to the sun.
After this, the priests blew kisses to thc sun. •"•
Gods
Then there was a strange ceremonv where they
tried to capture the sun by tying hirn to a stone "•
Incas had great
respect for their
pillar. This was called the Intihuatana, which
rneans "rhe hitching post of the sun". A
••
gods. They offered
thern presents
hitching post is what you tie a horse to. You ••
such as statues,
gold, animals, and
might remember that this festival was held in
the middle of winter. lts meaning was to do with ••
sometirnes even
people.
the sun not going any further away, but coming
back. The people wanted the sun to return.
In the evening, the people got the chance
.••.
to enjoy thelnselves. Midwinter festivals are
COl1uuonall over the warId, and aIways have
••
been. The early Christians decided on
December as the time for the birth of Christ,
••
because there were already festivals at tbar rin1e
in Europe. Different gads were involved, but the
••
idea of rhe sun rerurning was general. ••
•..
Chica
This alcoholic
..•
drink was made
fmm corno 1t
••
was stored in
decorated
••
clay jars.
••
26 ••
 ~ --~------------------------------------------------~------~
....
At the end of the day, the murnmies were
" returned to their golden chairs in the Tenlple of
" the Sun. There, they had servants to loo k after
" thern. In death, as in life, they sat surrounded
" by those who were there to help them.
"
Aa The servants waved fans in the air to keep

--... the flies off the mumrnies. They offered them

food and water when they felt these were

....-- needed. They a1so delivered tnessages to the

-"
....
murnrnies. Sornehow, they were also able to
understand their replies - or, at least, people
belíeved that thev could .
For the Incas, the difference between liíe
--
....
-- and death was less than ir is in 1l10Stsocieries
roday. It did not matter that these ernperors were
Mummified
._
.....
dead. They were sti11 considered very powerful.
bodies
For more than

..-. Alrer (he 5jxl11ish de{eClted the

4,000 years,
people across
South America
mummified their
" incas in /532, the)' built (]c1wrch

'"..
dead.
ll'herc the ](.>mplco{the SU!] in
CUZO) uscd to stond.

."..
'""
..
'"
...'"
...
."..
""
..
"
 Inca Ice Girl
High in the Peruvian Andes, the snowy tops of
the mountains stretched awav as far as the eye
could see. Down below, dark against the snow,
were the moving figures of four priests, a young
girl, and a number of llamas. They struggled up
The Andes through the snow to the top of a high ridge,
This is the longest where the ground fell away on both sides.
chain of mountains The climbers stopped, breathing heaviiv,
in the world. The
leaning on their sticks. It had taken thern duce
Andes' snowy tops
run throllgh Peru
days to reach rhe top of this rnountain, Nevado
and Chile. Ampato. AH the way, the paths had been narrow
and steep, until they stopped complerelv. And,
as they climbed higher, the air became thinner,
making it more and rnore diíficult to breathe.
The chief priest said a few words. One of the
priests built a fire and started to cook a simple
mcal while the others unloaded the packs, They
took out pots, food, small carved figures, and a
statue of a goddess. Tied to the packs were sorne
tools for digging. These were laid on the ground.
All this time the girl stood in silence,
sOlnetinles looking far down the n1ountain,
sometimes up to its topo She was thirteen
years old, and the daughter of an important
Inca falnily. Under a warn1 blanket, she wore a
beautiful dress of yellow, purple, and red wo01,
tied with a belt round her waist. The priests
Look~alike
carne and stood around her. One of theln kneI t
The goddess statue
was made of gold in front of her, with food and drink on a tray.
and dressed in The girl took off the blanket she was wearing
similar clothes and another of the priests placed a decorated
to the girl. cloth over her shouldel's. I-ie fastened this with
a silver pino

28
• -~~---------~-------------------------------r-------------'
•.. Then, while he said special pravcrs, the chief Headdress
The feathers carne

•• priest placed a large headdress made of fcathers

from the macaw,

,,.. on her head. The teathers were gold in colour,

and her head looked like the sun was shining a11
a type of parrot.
These tearhers
around it. She looked rnagnificent. were often used

•• in religious

..,•. cerernonies .

,.
••
..•,.
..•
,,..
••,.
..,.
,. ,.
..•
.••.
••
•,.
••,.
•
 ••
The chief priest said sornething tu rhe girl. She
smiled and sat clown to eat the food. The chief
•..
priest then looked around until he found what he
wanted - a hollow in the ground which was clear
••
of snow. He pointed to it and they all started to ••
dig using the tools they had brought wirh thern.
They had come to the mountain bccause
.••.
Last resort
down below, in the valley where they livcd, there
had been very little rain for the pasr three vears.
.•.
The Incas stored
food in case ir
The crops had dicd in the fields beca use they
had no water and the people were starving. The .•.
.•.
didn't rain. When
priests believed that the gods were angry and had
rhe food ran out,
they tried ro make
stopped the rain falling.
the gods happy
aga ll1.
They had talked abollt ir, and praycd, and
talked again. Finally, they had decided that él
special present had to be given to the lnountain
....
godo The present had to be the nlost valuablc
thing, a hurnan being, and as perfect as possible. .••.
This was because \vhoever \vas chosen would live
forever with the gods in the afterlife. They feit ..
that this would pIease the gods and bring rain. ••
The girl and her f~lmily were el linle
••
frightened when she was chosen. l{c)\vever, this
was a great honour, and rhey vl"ould never have ..
Llama food
thc)ught of refusing.
Now the girl had finished her food, and went ••
Statues v,'ere and sat near the fire. She dre\v her knees up tC)
•
oflen lIsed in
ceremonies. This
llarna statue may
her chest and folded her anns. It \vas alrnost as
if she was already dead.
The priests dug down unril they had 111adea
.•.
"
have remindeeI
(he goeIs to hole over a tnetre deepl and j l1st as broad. They had
brought sacks of red earth wirh thern, which was
••
••
provide grass for
their llamas ro eat. considered very hc)ly.They stuck this agaínst the
sides of the holeo lnside the ho1e they placed cups,
pots and food for the girl to use in the afterlife. ••
30 ••
Now cvervthing was readv. The chief priest went Mountain reseue
across to the girI and held out his hand. She The two rnen who
took it and stood up. He led her across the hole c!iscovcred the
girl's bcxly carried
that was soon to be her grave. She sat clown in
it down the
front of it in the same position, with her knees
mountain as fast
drawn up. 1-1ehanded her a bowl of chica, with as thcy could so
sorne other drugs mixed into ir. She drank it, rhat it would not
and he gave her another. become warrn and
As she drank, she gradually becarne decay. lt is now
unconscious. Then, she stopped breathing. kept in a freezer
at a universirv in
The priests wrapped her body in thick cloth
Peru, where it is
and lo\vered it into the holeo Shc \vas still in
studied and
a sitting posit.ion. They filled in the hole, and preserved.
continued until the girl was cOlllpletely covered.
She stayed where she was for 500 yea1's, her
body frenen solido Then, in Septernher 1995, él
volcallo exploded. I-lot ash fel1 on Nevado
f\lnparo anc! rnelted the ice. SOlne scientists
wenr ro see wbat dalnage ir had done, and
discovered che girl's body. It had been
11lullunified by the freezing cold. 1-1erface had
decayed but rhe rest uf the hody was still in
altnost perfect COlldition.
 ••
Sicilian Mummies ••
We are in the Sicilian city of Palenno. The vear 1S
.•.
1926 and it is a fine, warrn Saturday in spring. A
family is out for a walk. The tour children, two ••
boys and two girls, are dressed in their best clothes,
••
Palermo
as are the parents. This is as it should be, because
the family are going to visit their relatives. .•.
This is the largest
city on the Italian
island of Sicilv.
They come to the abbey of the Capuchin
monks and go down a flight of stairs. At the foot,
they move along a dark corridor. On either side
.•.
Picnics are coffins. Sorne of them are opened as people
look inside. Soon, the father stops. He points to
••
Families often
went out ro visit a coffin. "Mv grandrnother," he says. ••
the cernetery
together, and
The oldest girl opens the lid, as she has done
before. Her great-grandmorher is lying there and ••
might take a
picnic lunch.
nothing has changed. She still looks well
preserved, as she should be, because she has been ••
murnrnified. Her body 1S one of 8,000 in the cool
dark corridors below the church.
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
••
•
.)) •••• J ••••••••• )).))) ••• )I.).J~~aJJ •••• , ..
 "
\ir
~
There are manv coffins in the corridor, and l11(1n)/
\.11
living people standing by them. Mosr of thcm .
'-'
are opcn at the front and stackcd U!\ orie un top ~
of another. In each one líes él mummiried hody. w
Some are \\/c11preserved, with skin and hair strll w
in good condition. Orher» are litt!e more rhan ~

Tourist attraction dressed skeletons. The children seCLI1 te) be: ~

the simplv curious 8S they look ar this 01' that bodv. ~

mummies cl Sicilv They do not appear to be frightened. Sorncti mes '-'

atrracr rhousands ~
;1 child gigglcs, and is quieteried by a word frorn él
oCvisirors from all '-'
over die world.
parent. Perhaps the chi Id feels nervous. ...,
The adults behave I1101'e seriouslv, Sorne are
'-'
praving quietly. ()rhers rnight actually be talkiI¡g ~
to a body, perhaps telling them the latest 11e\V5 \.f
or asking for (ldvice. lt\lthough peoplc are fairly ~
quíct, everything seen1S nonnal enough. This is 'w
as it should be, becausc this custorn has gone on ~
fC)1" over 300 years. ~
.~vtonk
()ccasionallv, lh(' visitor5 Iníght sce a hooded \IIf
PaIcrn]()\· ¡¡rst
figure rnoving silently alT10ng the coffins. ~
lTluIlllnics \verc the
'W
high]y
n101)].;:s. '-'
'-'
w
w
W
'w
~
-.,
w
w
-..
w
'-'
w
'-'
'-'
'-'
.~~ ~
 --
" in, thev are unafraid. T'hey know ir is
" one of thc monks who Íook afrer the mummics.
"... Thcse were Capuchin monks, who wore

.". beards and brown robes. The church they

j()okcd alter is known as an al)hcy. Since 1599,

--..
.. thcv had mummifíed thc boches el the rnost
respccrcd monks. These were kept in the

.". passagcs cut trorn die roe k underneath the

abbcv. However, ir \VdS not a secrct.
I

SOCll1, local people discuvered what was

"" happening. Thev began asking for their

" .. relativos' bodies to be rnumrnified as well, in

return tor paving S0111enl0ney to the abbey .
They dressed rhe dead person in his or her best
",. c:lotllcS IJefore taking the body ro rhe lTIonks.
"
.... This r¡L:tetice contin.ued up 1'0 188], and the
custom ()f vísiting mumrnified relatives grew up
élround it. AJtcr that time, it gradually stopped . Monks
The rnonks ,"vhe)
" N\J\v, n10st el{ the pcuplc \.vho come to scc the

.". nlumrnics (lre tourists. look after the

caracomh today
still \vear the

.".. brown robes they

"..
ha ve w( )rn for
hundreds uf vears.

"..
....
"..
....
..
...
Clothing
The rnummies
us 'inú)rrnation
give

... about rhe styles of

... clothes people

... wore in the past.

... 35
...
 The monks needed over a vear tu
mummifv a bodv ._-but how i L was
done was kcpt secrer for cenruries'
The mummy of Father
Silvestre da Gubbio is the oldest
of a11. When he died, his bodv was
taken te) a special cellar. Thcre ir
was placed over a ser of clay pipes,
rarhcr like a ladder. 'Y(lith dry air
passing a11arouncl it, and él coo!
even ternperature, rhe body began
to dry out naturally. The process
continued for él whole vear.
Then the body was ta ken
, outside and bid in the hor Sicilian
Father Silvestro sun. By this time, the arnount uf water in ir was
da Gubbio much less, so that it would not bcgin LO decav in
This monk died in
the heat. Instead, the sun helped it to drv out
1599. Every vear,
completely, Then, the monks washed the body
the monks gi ve
hím a gentil'
\vith v{negar and, 1ast:el al1, wrappcd it in straw
dusting with a anel sweet~smelling herbs.
vacuum cleaner. However, the process was only partly
succcssfu 1. Father da Gubbio's body today looks
more like a dressed skcleton.

Thcsc pipes ¡vere uscd tu droin the h(l,líes,

 •• And, like manv of the mummies, he is not Soft skin
•• particularlv attractive to look ato He stands in his
space in the wall surrounded by four skulls.
The mummies
made in the 1800s

•• Lf\S time went by, the monks irnproved their

process of mummification. Their new merhods
still have their
skin and hair

•• included soaking the body in arsenic or milk of

today.

•• magnesia. This left the skin far softer and gave it

a more litelike colour,

•• Most of the boches are not in coffins but,

likc Father da Gubbio's, standing up in spaces

•• • along the walls. Thc different passages are for

diíferent types of people. The men are
divided by their jobs - rnonks, soldiers,

•• lawvers, and so on. The women, who were

not allowed to have jobs at that

•• time, are separated into married

or unrnarried. Before they

•• died, people might come and

choose their space.
•• Although the monks
stopped rnummifying

•• bCKhes in 1881, there was

one later addition to the
•• collection. Rosalia
LOlnbardo, \vho died in
•• 1920 at the age of 2, was
mummified by a series of
•• injections. Today, she
looks much t:he same as
•• the day shc died, and is

•• known as "The Sleeping

Beauty", The doctc)1"who

•• • invented the process also

died befOl'e he could pass
on the secreto

••
••
 ••
The Mummy Mystery
••
On 28 julv, 1952, Dr Pedro Ara reccived a phone
••
callo "Come quickly," the voice said. "Evita
dying. Fresident Perón is asking for you.'
••
Thunder crashed as Dr Ara hurried through
the streets of Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires.
After a vear's illness, Evita, the presiderit's
.••.
beautiful young wite was dying. She had cáncer.
••
Juan Perón
From the momenr her husband became
president, Evita tried ro help the ordinarv people
of Argentina. She planned and opened clinics and
.•.
Perón was rhe
president of
hospitals, and gave out food and clothes to the
pOOL She took action to improve housing. She
••
Argentina, the
richest countrv in
got involved wirh trade unions who were working ••
South Arnerica.
Evita \Vas his
to get berter wages for their rnernbers. Oíten, whar
she ser up was badly organizcd, but many peopJe
got the help they needed.
••
second wife.
She saw herself as a bridge betwecn Juan ••
Perón and the people of the country. Shc wurked
very long hours. Even cluring her last illness, when ••
she wa.s told to work less hard, s11e would flTlS\Ver,
"1 don't have time. 1 have too mueh to do." ••
She also helped to organ ize wornen '5 groups,
and put pressure on the politicians so that, ill ••
1947, Argentinian women got the right to VC)Le.
Four years later, Evita voted for che first and last ••
titne. She \vas so ill that she had te) do this frum
her bed. Long before she died, she had vv'()n rhe
••
Buenos Aires
Evita was 15
hearts of many of the people of her country.
Juan PenSn wanted to make sure that people
••
when she went
to live a10ne
never forgot his wife. Dr Ara was <J.I1 expert in
preserving bodies, and the president had asked
••
in Argentina's
capital city.
him to take care of Evita's hody after she died.
Al 8.25 p.m., Evita died. ..••
38 ••
 •• For the rnornent, the onlv person to know, apart Evita

•• trorn her tamilv and the medical sraff, was Dr

Ara. A nurse led him clown rhe long corridors to
Evita was born
Maria Eva Duanc)

• lavo
the voungest child

•••
él room where Evita I
in ;1 poor family.
lle set to work immecliately. r)ecay begins ar She Íater became
the moment of dearli, and therc was no rime to a popular actress. 1t

•• lose. As he began, he was aware that this was

thc most important job he would evcr be askcd
was during rhis time
that she me!
J uan Perón.
•• tu do. The results had ro be first-class. Evita
nceded to look as ir she were sleeping peacetullv,

.••. but her body had to last for hundreds el years.

I)r Ara connected the tubcs that wcre to
drain aH of the blc)od out of her body. This was

.•. replaced by glycerol, a thick liquid thar would

not decay. D1' Ara then placed chemicals insíde

•• the coffin to kill any insects or bacteria that

might: attack the body.

•• Dr /\1"a noted hc)\\! much Evita had

..• changed from the time when she \vas active

in public life. Her face was thin, shuwing ho\v
much \veight she had lost during her il1ness. It
•.. was his job to bring back as much of her beauty
as possible. lIe worked aH through the night. By
•• dawn, the first stage was cOlupleted.
,.
•,.
•• EVÍlU wus o j'oSSÍonOLC
,~pcokcr, ¡nI/ce!by

....
llJUuy ArgentÍ¡ÚOlls.

•
••
••
..
"
•
 ••
Evita's body was dressed in ,1 .,
ti

white go\vn and put into her

coffin. This was fitted with a f2:LlSS ••
lid and closed tiuhrlv so rhar no
air could get in. Then
L.- )

ir was
•
taken C1\Vay ro (1 place where the --•
public could say goodbve.
Over the next sixteen davs
••
••
.•.
more than 2 million people chose
ro do so. [\/1any were in tears,
Sorne benr to kiss the glass lid.
Dr Ara began to worrv. Thc lid
SIeeping beauty
Crowds of people
had to be litted twicc to wipe awav mist un the
inside. Each time, air was getting te) the bodv,
•.,
carne ro see and this was nor good. He knew rhar he had ro •
Evita's body. Many
dressed in black or
start the next stage of thc clnbalming proecss.
"..•
\vme their best
c10ches as a sign
of respecto
However, therc \vcre nl,uly \vllC! knew tItat
Juan Perónls populari ty ,"vas no!: as high as it
once had becn. 1-1chac! cHl1y becorne Presidcnt
..•
for (1 sccon.d tirne after ch.angíng thc Ltws uf rhe
<. , ~.v

country which s;lid rhat d presidcnt c(mIel onl y ••

serve (mee, anc1 Lhis \vclrricd a numbcr 01' pcolJle.
Also, Lhe ecc)t)orny was n.ot \vcn-king \\'e11 at rhe ••
tinlC. The mcrnory uf Evita \vas Llsefut to dIe
PcnJnist I)íuty, and rnany of che lcadcrs \vanted
•
to kcep che body cm view ror as long as possiblc. "•
•
..
w

Lelreí !oof.::cd \'e'1')

"•
5icl: whcn "he' jjeJ
••
c:rn!i(./lInin_(l
n70(j(:' her
riFe :)CC,~'~'
}(J(Jk •
I '
'01[jn' ("j()Ili.
""
40 ••
 ••
•• [)r Ara liad (1 h.ard fighr persuading thern thar he
had ro srart work immediarelv, but in the end, he

•• got his wa y. The budy was ta ken ro his

laboratorv. There, ir was soaked a nurnber of
Nation in tears
•
••
times in ;1 bath of chemicals. Ir was also injected
with liquids that would preserve ir. Finally, ir was
People had ro wait
for hours to see
painted wi th (1 liquid plasric. When chis dried, it Evíta's body. The

•• kept all the aír out.

lt took Dr Ara ayear to
queue was
kllumetres long.
5

•• complete the work. In the

end, he was plcased wirh the
•• resulto 1·1e knew that the
body would now stay in good
•• condition for él long time.
However, at the sarne time,
•• the political situation was

•• changing. Thcre \Vasgrowing

dissatisfaction w1th Perón's
governrnent. 111 J une 1955)
•• there was :-1 rebelliul, by navy and air-·force

•• ()tficers in Buenos l\ires, but the army relnained

lC)Y<ll and the LLprising didn't succeed.

•• There \Vas still a lot of tensicm, and over rhe

next few \veeks, different groups within che
Flower power

•• gcwernment and the arrny, navy, and air fórce

tried to get thernselvcs into the best position.
Memy pecyplc
l:x)ught H()\vers ro
near Evita's
••
lel)-'
Finally, in September ()f that year, SOlne officers coffín. TJ-¡c day
startcd clnother rebellion. after she dicd, all

•• Thc fighting lasted fo1'three days and

arcHJnd 4,000 pe()ple were killcd. In the end,
thc flovver shops in
Buenos Aires were

•• J U<ln [)cr6n had te) lcave. }-lis first pLlce of safcty s<Jld out.

•• \Vas a Paraguayan gunboat in Buenc)s

A.ires Harlx)ur. After rhat, he left

•• the country, first for P::uaguay and

1ater for Spain.

••
•
 ...-•
On September 20, the leader of the rebels, w
Major-General Eduardo Lonardi, becarne
president. However, less than two months later,
he was pushed out by another Major-General,
.•,
Pedro Ararnburu. This new president was very w"
opposed to Juan Perón, and did not want
•
President
Aramburu
anything around to remind the people of hirn.
He put a stop to the plans to build rhe
Monument to the People beeause he didu't
.".
W
This anny general
became president
want Evita's body to be seen by the public. But
by this time, S0111epeople had doubts about:
.•,
4j
of Argentina after whether the body was reallv hers.
Perón lefr the
countrv.
"Ir looks like él wax 1110del,"said an arrnv •
otficer, inspecting the mummy. He eheeked the
"
fingerprints. Then he had her body X,rayed. lt
was Evita. In fact, DI' Ara's work was so "•
••
..
good thar even Evita's internal organs
were preserved!
President Aramburu knew t:hat if he
ti
destroyed the body, Inany people would
be angry. Then Colonel Koenig, head of ••
"..
Anny lntelligenee, offercd help. Shortly
afterwards, in Novclnber 1955, the body
disappeared.
Many stories started to go r()und •
i\.rgentina about what had happencd to "•
Evita's body. SOlne said it was burned,
others that it had been seeretly buried. "
When the next eleetions were ".".
The musical
Evita's life is
helel in February 1958, a new president carne
into power. Aramburu left the seene, and ..
.•.
remembered in
rnany books and in nothing Inore was heard of Evita's body for 12
musical stage and years. Then, in 1970, Aramburu was tnurdered.
film productions. After his death his lawyer handed over an
envelope that contained the ans\ver. ...".
42 •
..
•• In September 1971, workers in an Italian
cerneterv were told to open the t0111b of a woman
•• called Maria lviaggi de Magistris.

•• Inside was a perfectly preserved body. But

the body was not Maria Maggi's. It was Evita

•• Perón 's. 1t had been secretly buried there 14 years

earlier, Culonel Koenig had arrangeel it.

•• Juan Perón returned to Argentina in 1973

aíter his partv YVCH1 the elections. In Septernber Resting place
Evita's body now

•• 11e was elecred president again. However, be was

in bis late seventies by then, and the strain was
rests in Recoleta
Cemetery in

•• too rnuch tor him. IIe died in july the fé)llowing

year, Evitals body was returned to Argentina, and
Buenos Aires. 1t
is said ro be in él

•
••
rhe two coífins were shown side by side. In
diffcrent ways, both she and her husband had
bombproof case.

come hcnne after n1any ye;:1rs in exile. Evita's

•• travels finally ended 24 years after her death
when, in 1976, she was placecl in her family tOlub.

•• A musical about her life, written by _A.ndrew

Lloyd Webber, [irst opened in the 19705. In
•• 1996, this was turned íntc) a film, with Madonna
playing the part uf the poor girl who rose to the
•• very topo 1()(1aY Evita is rnore fmuous than ever.

•• Together again
•• In 1974, when
Juan Perón died,

•• he was not
embalmed. FEs

•• closed coffin was

shown next to

•• Evita's open one.

••
•• Evi[o " go()d ¡l'orh ¡wve llcver been f(¡rgc)tten.

•• 43
 ••
•
Mummies Today
•
--•
In 1798 the French general Napoleón Bonaparte
invaded Egvpt, This started a tashion for a11
•
ti

Mummy paint
things Egyptian, first in France t:hen in other
European countries. This was seen in clothes,
in fumiturc, in painting, music, and manv orher
....
ti

Mumrnies were
once used ro make
a brown artists'
arcas of life. Teams of French scholars began to
studv the ancient Egyptian civilization, and public
••
colour called
Caput Mortuum,
inrerest grew even stronger whcn mummies were
packed up and sent back to Frunce.
••
which rneans "dead However, by this time, el lo! of tlie evidcnce •
head" in Latín.
had bcen destroved. Over the cenruries,
thousands of rnummies had been burned as fuel,
••
ground up for medicine, 01' sitnply left to decay.
The fírst mummies sent to Europe were
••
treated Hule better. !v1any •
•
were "unwrapped" at public
events. Althc)lJgh sorne .,"
people a.ttended out of
scientific interest, most
came to be horrified by \vhat
..••
might be inside when the
den10nstrator had unrolled all •
the bandages. Of course, this
type of performance
"•
destroyed much e>f the
historical evidence that
the murnmy could givc.
•"•
~

••.,
Todo v, /1lost 5cicntists trcur
lhe oncicnt dcod rcs/.JL?crfu!!v
cmd mole rhe Ínfórmotion "
lhe)' fi'nd widely oFoilablc.
•W"
44 W
 ••
•• Today, scientists use mummics to find out what
diseases people suffered frorn in the past. They use

•• rnieroseopes to Íook at skin, bone, and other body

tissues. It is also quite easy te) sean the face of a
•• rnummy into a cornputer. You can then make
sorne changes ro allow for the passing of time, and
•• produce an image of what rhe mummv Íooked like
when alive. You can see the living face of an
Aches and pains
This X~ray uf an
•• anc ienr Egvptian -- at leasr on the screen. Inca mummv
shows rhar the
•• Orher advances in technologv mean that
brain has beco me

.•. peoplc can take berter care of ancienr things that

are found. In 1895, X~rays were discovered. An
X~ray picture shows scientists what is inside a
much smaller, and
now hes at the
bottcHn elf the

•• ll1urnnly coffin. N1ullunies can now be studied

without being Un\\Tdpped.
skull.

••
••
••
••
••
••
•• A look inside
This CAT sean

•• A mumm,V OhOUl to entcr (1 CA T scanner.

shows the skin on
a mumrny's face.

•• Nowadays, scíentísts use electronic scanners,

At another setting,
the machine could

••
called CAT scanners, to produce three- show r.he bc)ne
ditnensional irnages of a InUll1my inside its beneath the skín.

•• bandages. The lllachine can be set to show the

lllU111111yat different levels below t:he surface.

•· -,
4S
 While scientists are still studying ancient
mummies, rnany people todav still have rheir
dead boches preserved.
Somctimes, people wanr to see thcir dead
re latí ves before thev are buricd. Thc bodies ,lfe
ernbalrned so that thev v...illlasr a short whiie.
They are not intended to last torever.
But sorne are, and Evita Perón's mumrnv
is not rhe only recent example. As in ancicnr
Egyptian times, today's IT1UmnÜesare thc bodies
of rich or tamous people.
In 1924, the Russian leader Vladinur Lenin
died. His wife thought thar his mernorv would
Ever present best be kept alive by building houses. hospitals,
Th is is the clorhed
and schools. However, Josef Stalin, the leadcr uf
skeleton of [erernv
the Soviet Union at the time, liad orher ideas.
Bentharn, a
philosopher \Vho There was a traditicm in RUSSÜ1, as in Illélny
died in 1832. His c()Untries, of going to see the bones of dead saints.
mummified head is Since the Communist Party had replacccl rcligíon,
between his feeL Stalin feIt it \vas only right that the IlC:oplc should
have a substitute. So, Lenin's body was embahned)
and placed inside él new building in I\ed Squarc,
and pec)ple queued up to see rhe founder uf the
Soviet Union. The queucs are rather shorter
today, but people still go to scc the body.
In the Unitcd States, people can pay to have
their boches lrozen in liquid nirrogen. They hope
that peoplc living in the futurc will be able to
bring thcrn back ro lite.
This science is called cryogenics. Extreme
cold is certainly the best \\1(1)1 of preserving (J.
bodv. \X/e make use of this fact everv time we
J ¡

pu t meen into a íreezer, and sorne uf the boches

Cryogenics
in thc bcst condition are those which have been
'W'hen people
tound in cold countries. These range frorn Stone choose to be
A.ge people te) those more recently dead, such as frenen after rheir
the climber George 1\1a11ory,whu was found 011 deaths, their
Mounr Everest in 1999. lIe dicd trying to reaeh bodies are
che top uf the mountain in 1924. preserved in large
steel containers.
The question el wherher science could
bring fn)zen bc)d L(:'S back to 1ife has still to be
ans\\7Cred. We know it can be done with
hacteria. One day it rnay be possible with hU1l1,111
bcinJ";s, ::lIlcI SUlne uf LIS may 1ive to see it.

The llJl/mmy o{
\ 'lodúnir LCI1Ín

Sciencc ficrion
writers and movie~
makers capture our
imaginations with
their ideas aboLlt
how cryogenics
rnight be L1sed in
the fLlture.

47
 .-
••
Glossary ••
abbey hieroglyphs pharaoh ••
A church with buildings
beside it where religious
men or women live.
Picrures rhar stand for
words Uf sounds, These
were used in ancicnr
The name given ro rhc
kings uf ancienr Egypt,
írom 3000 JK,' tu 3(10 F\C ••
afterlife
Sorne kind of life
Egyptínn writing.

Inca
shrine
A rhing rhat pcople buikl
••
after death. Different
civilizarions havc different
hcliefs about rhis.
A South American
civilizarion rhat lasted
from 1200 to 1532, whcn ir
lo help rhern rcrncmber a
dt~(ld persono The body
mal' he insidc,
••
ancient Egyptians
was destroved by the
Spanish. tomb ••
••
The people living in EgVpt A brgc gr:l\T rh:u i~
when ir was rulcd by intestines che gf\lund. IríS u~lJ:111y
pharaohs, Thís was Tubes in (he body thar dccorared.

bcnveen around 3000 1\( .
and 300 BC.
bacteria
Very smallliving rhings.
Sorne cause diseasc or
break down tiead bodies.
carry fóod afrer í t lc;¡vcs rhe
stomach.
litter
A hcd, 01' stretchcr, tha!
can be carried. It is uscd ro
••
Tutankharnun
A hoy pharaoh \vhu
ruled Egypt frcllll abou!
1J36 Be ro 1327 ne. ¡le
\Vas prohahly :lroull,cl ](í
••

bog
i
I
move pcople or mummics.

l1arna
years old whcn he dicd.

underworld
••
A piece of l;~nd ¡hat is
always wet ahd muddy.
A SOllth /\merican animal
rclatea to the carne 1. Ir is
used for mear, WOill, ancI
The :mcicnt Eg\Ttian"
belic"cc! ,h,1[ c\'cryonc h,\(l
to tr<lvcl thr,)udl
•
••
CAT scantiter transpon. t:his wmll bcnearh the
A compllterizcd machinc
thar productts duce-
dinlensíonat images (l{ a
monk
earth on thcir juurncy to
the aÍlerlif,,:o ••
••
/\ ¡nan living and w()lling
person's bun:es and organs. in a rcligious group. X~rays
These can pdSS through

••
cryogenics murnmify only the soft pans ()f rile
111e process of keeping °rhe proce$S uf lTwk ing a bodv. They are uscd w
hoches ;11 very low body inro a mummy. rnakc a picture 01' ::J perscm's

••
tcmperatul'eS so rhey bones and internal orgam.
cannot decay. murnmy
A hody rhat has been
curse
/\ wish, usufllly spoken or
written, intrnded 1'0 harm
preserved by naturc or
by people.
••
another persono

ernbalrn
natron
A natural salt uscd by the ••
••
ancient Egyptians ro dry
To use chemicals ()r hodies.
perfurnes to stop él body

••
frorn dccaying.

48
•