Through the Eras

ReligionHeart scarab amulet of Ptahemheb. The amulet was placed in the mummy bandages above the human heart to prevent the heartfrom testifying against its owner in the underworld. Nineteenth Dynasty. THE ART ARCHIVE/BRITISH MUSEUM/JACQUELINE HYDE.wrapped separately and each one was placed in its ownjar. These jars were buried in the tomb with the mummy,often in a special chest. At times, the heart was removedand carefully wrapped and returned to its place. At othertimes, it was simply left in place. Near the heart the embalmercould place a “heart scarab,” an amulet containinga protective spell. The body cavity was packed withlinen and other stuffing material. The body was packedand covered with dry natron, a salt-like compound usedto dry out the body. This process took about forty days,after which the natron was removed and the body cavitywas packed with linen bags of sawdust or myrrhsoaked in resin. Then the abdominal incision was sewnshut. Priests rubbed the body with a mixture of cedaroil, wax, natron, and gum, and sprinkled it with spices.They smeared the skin with molten resin which, whenhardened, kept moisture out of the body. The last stepwas wrapping the body with linen. This could involvethe use of hundreds of yards of linen. Beginning in theThirtieth Dynasty (381–343 B.C.E.), scribes wrote textsfrom the Book of the Dead on some of the mummy bandages.During the wrapping process, priests includedamulets on the mummy to protect it. Throughout thewhole process, priests recited the appropriate incantationsat each stage of the mummification. Some of thesespells have been preserved on papyri. For example, afteranointing the head of the mummy with good qualityresin, the embalming priest was to recite the following:“Ho, Osiris N [N represents the name of the deceased],resin which came forth from Punt is on you in order tomake your odor agreeable as the divine scent. The effluxwhich comes forth from Re is on you in order to make[your odor] agreeable in the broad hall of the TwoTruths.” According to the Greek historian Herodotus(fifth century B.C.E.) the process of making a mummytook seventy days, this number deriving from the numberof days the star Sirius was invisible. In actuality, themummification could last anywhere from thirty to over242 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)