How to Live Like an Egyptian Mummy Maker

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Take the piece of string and wrap it around the middle of the hot dog to measure the distance around the middle. You are measuring the circumference of the hot dog. Make a mark on the string where the end of the string meets up with itself. Lay the string along the ruler to measure the distance from the end of the string to the mark (in centimeters). This is the circumference of your hot dog. Write the value down in the data table in your lab notebook. Most people associate ancient Egypt with the pharaohs, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and mummies. But what is the connection between these three things and what is a mummy? A mummy, like the one shown in Figure 1 below, is a corpse whose skin and flesh have been preserved by chemicals or by exposure to the elements of weather. The ancient Egyptians believed that preserving the body was important because without the body, the previous owner's "ka," or life force, would always be hungry. It was important for a person's ka to survive so that he or she could enjoy the afterlife, or life after death. The ancient Egyptians started mummifying remains about 3500 BC, although older purposefully mummified remains have been found elsewhere, such as in Pakistan about 5000 BC and in Chile around 5050 B.C.

For older elementary kids, The History Channel has this wonderful clip, that represents the mummification process:With hairdressers and beauticians called in to restore a groomed, lifelike appearance, the finished body was then wrapped in many metres of linen; one estate manager called Wah (c.2000 BC) had been wrapped in an amazing 375 square metres of material, although this could often be recycled household linen as well as that purpose-made for mummification.

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There is a slightly more complicated on-line mummification process for kids from the BBC that requires a bit more reading, which older children may enjoy. Seal the box with the lid and put the box in an indoor shady location, away from heating and cooling vents, where it will not be disturbed. Note the date that you started the process in your lab notebook. Do not disturb it for one week - no peeking! Our research adds new information to Egyptology. Most other Egyptologists study language, art, archaeology or history, but these do not always give a clear or correct idea of what life was like in ancient Egypt. Scientific studies of mummies are exciting because sometimes they give us new facts about ancient Egypt. Some of the questions we ask are:

To ensure a successful afterlife for the dead through mummification, most internal organs were removed and preserved in distinctive jars. The brain was also removed, but not preserved, and the rest of the body was dried with natural salt, treated with oils and resins, and tightly wrapped in bandages.Doesn't help that Jason is quite the bragger. One day, Andi's class visits the museum and sees this mummy. Basically, Andy touches her and gets this weird feeling. Soon after, he finds himself doing way better at thing like art and math, even creating a fake mummy of his own that everyone fawns over. Plus, some wishes he makes start coming tree. Andreas Pommert: Dreidimensionale Darstellung altägyptischer Mumien aus computertomographischen Bildfolgen [Three-dimensional display of ancient Egyptian mummies from computer tomographic image sequences]. In Rosemarie Drenkhahn, Renate Germer (ed.): Mumie und Computer—Ein multidisziplinäres Forschungsprojekt in Hannover, Kestner-Museum, Hannover, 1991, 19-20 (ISBN 978-3-924029-17-3).

NATRON AND OINTMENTS Natron was the main ingredient used to dry out the dead body, but embalmers applied oils such as cedar, and perhaps juniper oil, to maintain the suppleness of the flesh. For more than 12 years, a group of researchers headed by Professor Karl Heinz Höhne, PhD, at the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science in Medicine (IMDM) has done research in the field of anatomical 3D reconstruction of the living human body. Procedures have improved over the years, and thus, it is nowadays possible to produce computer-based body models (“virtual bodies”), which can be examined in the way an anatomist or surgeon would do it. With the program named VOXEL-MAN, operations can be simulated and planned in advance, and 3D anatomical atlases can be produced. In these fields, Höhne’s group did pioneering work, like for example in 1987, when the first brain of a living human being was reconstructed. Meanwhile, the focus in on the development of medical training simulators. Put on one pair of the gloves and place a paper towel on your work surface. Place the hot dog on top of the paper towel and the ruler next to it. Measure the length of the hot dog (in centimeters [cm]) and record the number in your lab notebook in a data table like Table 1 below, in the row for 0 days. Calcite ointment jar engraved with the name King Pepi I. 6th dynasty. Egyptian Museum, Berlin Photograph by Oronoz/Album BEESWAX Wax has sometimes been found sealing the mouth, nasal passages, and other cavities in mummies from the New Kingdom and the Late Period. Bees were valued for their magical properties.There were several steps to the Egyptian ritual of mummification. First, the body was thoroughly washed in the waters of the Nile river. Then the brain was removed through the nostrils and discarded. An opening was made in the left side of the abdomen and the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines were removed and placed into four canopic jars. Each jar was believed to be guarded by a different god. The heart was left in the body because the ancient Egyptians believed that the heart was the location of emotion and thought. Finally, the body was stuffed and covered with natron. Natron is a naturally found salt mixture of several different desiccants. A desiccant is a substance that dries out things next to it. It does this by absorbing water or moisture from its surrounding environment. As you probably guessed, the purpose of stuffing and covering the body with natron was to remove all bodily fluids from the body and desiccate it. Once the body was completely desiccated, it was rubbed with perfumed oils and then wrapped very carefully with linen bandages. Once completely wrapped, the remains were placed inside of a sarcophagus and then inside of a tomb. In the case of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, their tombs are now known as the Great Pyramids of Giza. Andy is a decently relatable protagonist who is likable as Jason is indeed a braggy jerk. He's got a step mother and thankfully she's nice and he's even nice to her, he likes her so we get to "you're not my real mom" stuff. Oh and he's got a little sister he bonds with, that was refreshing. The family stuff is important, as Andy's birth mom died when he was young and Jason's birth dad basically left for California. There is also a great fantasy element to the book, with Andy channeling the spirit of the mummy. This part is a bit spooky and mysterious and adds a fun tension to the book. I love the imagination the author uses here and how it is used to ultimately resolve the story. The significance of death and the afterlife to ancient Egyptians meant complex funeral preparations and rites, thought to be needed to ensure the transition of the individual from earthly existence to immortality. Airtight plastic storage box with lid that is longer, wider, and several centimeters deeper than the hot dog. It will probably need to be at least 20 cm long x 10 cm wide x 10 cm deep.