Mummification Was Performed to Help The Body Reunite With The Soul After Death

Ancient Egyptians were adamant about the afterlife. They thought that your spirit would leave your body after you died, but only for a short time. The spirit would then return to your remains on a regular basis, and the body had to be in good condition for this to happen. This reunion marked the beginning of your afterlife adventure, which would be packed with countless challenges. In order to help the body reunite with the soul after death and begin your afterlife, mummification was essential.

Although there were no restrictions on who may be mummified, the technique was prohibitively expensive for many common people. The ancient Egyptians used to bury their dead in the parched desert. This caused the bodies to dehydrate due to the hot, dry sand, resulting in spontaneous mummification. As early as 2800 BC, deliberate mummification was a part of Egyptian civilization, and over time, intricate mummification procedures were developed.

The historical writings of Herodotus are the finest source for detailing the Egyptian mummification procedure. He was a Greek historian who liked Egypt and documented the 1000-year-old processes that he saw in the fifth century B.C. According to his writings, not everyone was mummified in the same way because the costs varied. The 80-day procedure was the ideal method.