Year 5 - mummifying a Pharoah

This week in Year 5 we received the devastating news that the Pharaoh had died during the night. As the most respected embalmers in all of Egypt, it was our job to make sure that Pharaoh was properly prepared for the afterlife.

The wetyu (embalming assistants) first removed the Pharaoh’s brain using a hook through his nose and threw it in the rubbish as brains are a useless organ. They made a careful incision in his abdomen to remove his other organs and placed them in the Canopic Jars, making sure that his heart was saved so that it could be weighed by Anubis in the afterlife. They washed the body and placed it in natron (a type of salt) from the River Nile to dry out the body.

After 40 days (or near enough) they wrapped the Pharaoh’s body in bandages, making sure to place the Amulets inside to protect Pharaoh on his journey into the afterlife. They made a death mask of the Pharaoh and placed him inside a sarcophagus with his cartouche attached.

Finally Pharaoh was taken in a procession to be placed in his pyramid with all of his worldly possessions to be used in the afterlife. The embalmers did a fantastic job and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the process of mummification.

Next week, Year 5 are looking forward to a virtual visit with the Pitt Rivers museum to see some Egyptian artefacts and learn more about life in Ancient Egypt.