How to make a mummy

Wash the body. Embalmers washed the pharaoh's body with palm wine and rinsed it with Nile River water. This was done in a tent set aside as the "place of purification."

All the internal organs except the heart were removed while the brain was removed by inserting a hook through the nostrils. The heart, however, was left in place,it was seen as the source of emotion.

Wash and preserve the removed organs. After ritual washing, the extracted internal organs were packed in canopic jars filled with natron, a preserving and drying salt. Each jar was marked

Dehydrate the body. The body was covered with natron and left for 40 days to remove all moisture.

Wash the body again. After the second washing with Nile water, the body was anointed with fragrant oils, then stuffed with a mixture of herbs, salt and spices

Wrap the head and neck with fine linen strips.

Wrap each finger and toe individually.

Wrap each arm and leg. While the extremities were wrapped, amulets such as the "Isis knot" (ankh) and plummet were placed on the body to protect it on its journey into the underworld.

Tie the arms and legs together. A papyrus scroll copy of the Book of the Dead was placed between the dead pharaoh's hands.

Wrap linen strips around the entire body. These strips were painted with resin to glue them together.

Wrap the body in cloth. After the cloth was in place, an image of Osiris was painted on it.

Place a golden mask over the mummy's face. This represented how the pharaoh looked in life

As well as giving the pharaoh's family the chance to mourn, the key part of the funeral was the "opening of the mouth" ritual, which would allow the deceased to to eat and drink in the afterlife.

Place the coffins in a stone sarcophagus, along with the deceased's needs for the afterlife.