Mummies Research Paper

Mummies, pyramids, tombs. All three of these icons of death are associated with ancient Egypt. This was a deeply religious society obsessed with death and the continuation of life in the afterlife. As such, many steps were taken to preserve the body and possessions of the dead as they journeyed to the Duat (underworld) in death. These steps included mummification of the body, storage of household objects, jewelry, and whatever possessions were deemed necessary for the next life. However, humans were not the only creatures that the ancient Egyptians mummified as millions of mummified animals have been discovered over the years. So many, in fact, the corpses were used as ship ballast, fuel for fires, and with shipments bound for England’s …show more content…
Most of these offerings come from tombs during the New Kingdom, concentrated around the New Kingdom capital of Thebes. When excavated, many tombs surrounding Thebes were found to contain assorted mummified foods that included cattle, ducks, geese, fish, and pigeons, which were often in containers that resembled their forms. Furthermore, many of these Victual mummies were prepared as if they were to be eaten with the organs placed back into the body, which often appears to be blackened as if it was cooked due to the resin poured over it. In addition, there are instances where the food was prepared into joints, slabs, steaks, and whole poultry. Also, as in life there existed a distinction between social classes in death, with one separation being what food the deceased was buried with. One example of this status difference was beef, which was a sign of high status with many of the remains from young cattle less than two-and-a-half years old. A person of a lower social stature, such as a tomb maker, may instead be buried with pigeon or fish to tie them over in the afterlife, while a Pharaoh would be buried with lamb and