Mummification

Mummification is a process in which the skin and flesh of a corpse can be preserved or dried out. The process can occur naturally, or it can be intentional. If it occurs naturally, it is due to unusual conditions. When it is intentional, chemicals, and other substances are used to preserve the bodies. The most well-known mummies are those that were made by the ancient Egyptians, who had a detailed and complex set of funerary procedures that were aimed at ensuring survival after death.

History

Mummification has been practiced by different cultures around the world. The oldest known natural mummy is a child, the Detmold child, who was found in 1985 in a glacier of the Andes mountains in South America. The child, who was about 10 months old at the time of death, has been dated to 5050 BC.

Egyptian mummification

The ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. They thought that by preserving a body, the soul would have a place to return to after death. The process of mummification involved removing the internal organs, treating the body with natural chemicals, and wrapping it in linen.

Modern mummification

In modern times, mummification is practiced by some cultures and is also used in medical research. The Plastination technique, invented by Gunther von Hagens, is a technique used in anatomy to preserve bodies or body parts. The water and fat are replaced by certain plastics, yielding specimens that can be touched, do not smell or decay, and even retain most properties of the original sample.

See also

• Embalming
• Cryonics
• Sokushinbutsu

References

Mummification Resources
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