HOW THE EGYPTIANS USED TO BURY THEIR DEAD

The ancient Egyptians believed that eternal life in the afterlife depended on survival

on earth. In the book "Mummification and Death Ritual of Ancient Egypt" it is written that

the dead may be kept "alive" through statues. So that in Ancient Egyptian civilization people

who died were buried or stored in statues, this is often called mummification.

What is a mummy? Mummies are preserved corpses, so this mummy is not easy to rot

and will stay awake as it was in the beginning. This can happen because of the protection

from decomposition by natural means or the result of work. Natural products such as corpses

are stored in very cold or very hot air and also the result of work, namely by embalming.

Mummification is a Persian word meaning “wax”. Mummification was developed through

repeated experiments, while the oldest mummy is a mummy known as the Mummy of the

Young Princess, which was buried around 2600 years BC (BC) located on a plateau close to

the pyramids (Big Cheops) at Giza. The mummy was excavated in 1989. The complete and

oldest mummy is the mummy of a court musician who was buried around 2400 BC who was

buried in Nefer. This mummy was unearthed in 1994 with an intact mummy state.

Basic Ways of Mummifying:

First, wash the mummy's body at least 2 times, after removing the organs that are

easily damaged except the heart, because the heart is their identity in the afterlife. The second

bath is when going to do the wrapping or burial. Second, getting rid of several organs in his

body, starting from the brain, intestines, and everything else except the heart. Third, dry the

mummy's body. Fourth, anoint with fragrant spices, so that the mummy does not emit a very

pungent odor. Fifth, bury the corpse in salt. Leaving dead humans buried by a salt solution
consisting of natural ingredients when in Ancient Egypt, except now using chemical tools

such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulfate, and sodium chloride.

Sometimes there are also many differences in the use of salt for mummification. It

differs in terms of the quality of the salt. Noble people, of course, the salt is taken from

natural ingredients, which in the territory of Egypt is often called wadi natrun salt. In contrast

to commoners, who use ordinary salt. So it takes longer. Burying with salt is usually done for

70 days until only bones and skin are left. Fifth, shape it and wrap it for burial.

This is a unique tradition that the Ancient Egyptians have always carried out to

mummify the dead, and it is one of the ways to honor the dead. They believe that preserving a

dead person can allow that person to have a decent life in the afterlife. Mummification is also

the ancient Egyptian way of preserving corpses. So that the mummy can be durable or not

easily damaged even though it has been thousands of years.

The history of the earliest mummies from prehistoric times may have done so by

accident. Coincidentally when Egypt was dry, the rainfall that could not be measured so

preserved the corpse was buried in a shallow hole in the sand. Therefore in about 2600 BC,

during the fourth and fifth dynasties, the ancient Egyptians began to deliberately mummify.

KESIMPULAN

Tradisi unik yang selalu dilakukan oleh orang Mesir Kuno memumifikasi orang yang

sudah meninggal, dan ini adalah salah satu cara untuk memuliakan orang yang sudah mati.

Mereka percaya bahwa mengawetkan orang yang sudah tidak bernyawa dapat membuat

orang tersebut memiliki kehidupan yang layak di alam baka. Mumifikasi juga adalah cara

orang mesir kuno untuk pengawetan mayat. Sehingga mumi tersebut dapat awet atau tidak

mudah rusak meski sudah ribuan tahun.

 Sejarah mumi paling awal dari zaman prasejarah mungkin melakukannya ketidak

sengajaan. Secara kebetulan ketika itu keadaan Mesir kering, curah hujan yang tidak dapat

diukur sehingga mengawetkan mayat itu dikubur dalam lubang yang dangkal dalam pasir.

Oleh karena itu pada sekitar 2600 SM, selama dinasti keempat dan kelima, orang Mesir kuno

mulai memumifikasi dengan sengaja.