Mummification

Mummification is the preservation of a body by slowing decomposition through drying or chemical treatment. It can occur naturally or result from deliberate human practices.

Decomposition: The breakdown of organic matter by physical, chemical, and biological processes. Mummification interrupts the processes that would otherwise break down a body.
Ötzi: A Copper Age man whose naturally preserved body was found in the Alps in 1991. Ice and the circumstances of burial preserved Ötzi for more than five millennia.
Chinchorro culture: A pre-Columbian culture of coastal northern Chile and southern Peru, known for fishing and artificial mummification. Its communities practiced artificial mummification millennia before Egypt’s royal tombs.
Ka: In ancient Egyptian religion, a vital spiritual aspect of a person that continued after death. Egyptian preservation helped maintain the body associated with the deceased’s ka.
Desiccation: The removal of water from a material or organism. Removing moisture limits microbial growth and slows tissue decay.
Chinchorro mummies: Human remains prepared by the Chinchorro culture of coastal northern Chile and southern Peru. Their artificial mummies are among the oldest known examples of deliberate body preservation.
Old Kingdom of Egypt: A period of ancient Egyptian history, approximately 2686–2181 BCE, marked by pyramid construction and centralized rule. Egyptian mummification became increasingly elaborate during this period.
Ancient Egyptian religion: The religious beliefs and practices of ancient Egypt, including worship of many gods and expectations of an afterlife. Its ideas about survival after death shaped the purposes of mummification.
Embalming: The treatment of a dead body to preserve it, often using chemicals or physical procedures. Embalming uses deliberate treatments to delay decomposition, sometimes alongside drying.
Tarim mummies: Naturally preserved ancient human remains found in the Tarim Basin of western China. The basin’s arid conditions preserved bodies without the elaborate treatment used in Egypt.

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