Editing Mummy (section)

=== Mummification and rank ===
[[File:Mòmia Nesi BMVB 2964.jpg|alt=Nesi mummy (dynasty XX). Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer. Vilanova i la Geltrú. Spain|thumb|{{ill|Nasi (mummy)|lt=Nesi mummy|ca|Mòmia Nesi|es|Momia Nesi|it|Mummia Nesi}} ([[dynasty XX]]). [[Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer]]. Vilanova i la Geltrú. Spain]]
Mummification is one of the defining customs in ancient Egyptian society for people today. The practice of preserving the human body is believed to be a quintessential feature of Egyptian life. Yet even mummification has a history of development and was accessible to different ranks of society in different ways during different periods. There were at least three different processes of mummification according to [[Herodotus]]. They range from "the most perfect" to the method employed by the "poorer classes".<ref name="Brooklyn Museum">{{cite book |last1=Bleiberg |first1=Edward |title=To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum |date=2008 |publisher=Brooklyn Museum |location=Brooklyn, New York |page=50 |author1-link=Edward Bleiberg }}</ref>

==== "Most perfect" method ====
[[File:Mummification simple.png|thumb|500x500px|Simplistic representation of the Ancient Egyptian mummification process.]]
The most expensive process was to preserve the body by dehydration and protect against pests, such as insects. Almost all of the actions Herodotus described served one of these two functions.

First, the [[brain]] was removed from the [[cranium]] through the nose; the gray matter was discarded. Modern mummy excavations have shown that instead of an iron hook inserted through the nose as Herodotus claims, a rod was used to [[wikt:liquefy|liquefy]] the brain via the cranium, which then drained out the nose by gravity. The embalmers then rinsed the skull with certain drugs that mostly cleared any residue of brain tissue and also had the effect of killing bacteria. Next, the embalmers made an incision along the [[Flank (anatomy)|flank]] with a sharp blade fashioned from an [[Ethiopia]]n stone and removed the contents of the abdomen. Herodotus does not discuss the separate preservation of these organs and their placement either in special jars or back in the cavity, a process that was part of the most expensive embalming, according to archaeological evidence.

The [[abdominal cavity]] was then rinsed with palm wine and an infusion of crushed, fragrant herbs and spices; the cavity was then filled with spices including [[myrrh]], [[Cinnamomum cassia|cassia]], and, Herodotus notes, "every other sort of spice except [[frankincense]]", also to preserve the person.

The body was further dehydrated by placing it in [[natron]], a naturally occurring salt, for 70 days. Herodotus insists that the body did not stay in the natron longer than 70 days. Any shorter time and the body would not be completely dehydrated; any longer, and the body would be too stiff to move into position for wrapping. The embalmers then washed the body again and wrapped it with linen bandages. The bandages were covered with a gum that modern research has shown is both a waterproofing agent and an antimicrobial agent.

At this point, the body was given back to the family. These "perfect" mummies were then placed in human-shaped wooden cases. Wealthy people placed these wooden cases in stone sarcophagi that provided further protection. The family placed the [[sarcophagus]] in the tomb upright against the wall, according to Herodotus.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bleiberg |first1=Edward |title=To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum |date=2008 |publisher=Brooklyn Museum |location=Brooklyn, New York |pages=50–51 |author1-link=Edward Bleiberg }}</ref>

==== Avoiding expense ====

The second process that Herodotus describes was used by middle-class people or people who "wish to avoid expense". In this method, an oil derived from [[Cedrus|cedar trees]] was injected with a syringe into the abdomen. A rectal plug prevented the oil from escaping. This oil probably had the dual purpose of liquefying the internal organs but also of disinfecting the abdominal cavity. (By liquefying the organs, the family avoided the expense of [[canopic jar]]s and separate preservation.) The body was then placed in [[natron]] for seventy days. At the end of this time, the body was removed and the cedar oil, now containing the liquefied organs, was drained through the [[rectum]]. With the body dehydrated, it could be returned to the family. Herodotus does not describe the process of burial of such mummies, but they were perhaps placed in a [[shaft tomb]]. Poorer people used coffins fashioned from [[terracotta]].<ref name="Brooklyn Museum"/>

==== Inexpensive method ====

The third and least expensive method the embalmers offered was to clear the [[intestines]] with an unnamed liquid, injected as an [[enema]]. The body was then placed in [[natron]] for seventy days and returned to the family. Herodotus gives no further details.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bleiberg |first1=Edward |title=To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum |date=2008 |publisher=Brooklyn Museum |location=Brooklyn, New York |page=52 |author1-link=Edward Bleiberg }}</ref>