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The word “mummy” comes from an Arabic word that refers to asphalt, which alludes to the black color of the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptians. It was believed that this black color was a result of the corpse being treated with bitumen. We now know that the black color of ancient Egyptian mummies is a result of oils, resins, dirt and age.<ref>Ikram, Salima. “Mummification.” <i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i>. 2010 ed. UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. Web. 11 Nov. 2015, p. 2.</ref>

Since their rediscovery, in the 19th century, we have learned a great deal about the ancient Egyptians and the reasons they left mummies behind. It is commonly said that the Egyptians mummified their dead to preserve the body for the afterlife, but this is an oversimplification of a very complicated process and a corresponding set of beliefs. The practice of embalming, anointing, wrapping and reciting spells for the dead reflects the sophisticated way in which the Egyptians viewed life, death, and the underworld.

====Religious Beliefs about the Human Body and the Afterlife====

There are no written accounts of the detailed process of mummification, but texts indicate that the process took seventy days.<ref>Ikram, <i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i> p. 2.</ref> The first stage of the process was the “purification of the corpse” which lasted about three days and consisted of washing the body, reciting prayers and reading from sacred texts.<ref>Hays, <i>UCLA Encyclopedia Of Egyptology</i>, p.1.</ref> The body was disinfected using palm wine or a solution of a salt called natron. Next, the internal organs were removed through an incision made in the left torso. The organs were mummified separately, and the body cavities were also disinfected. The brain cavity was soaked in resin, and the brain was removed via the left nostril. It is believed that the brain and organs were removed because they were prone to disintegration.<ref> “Mummification in Egypt.” <i>The British Medical Journal</i> 1.2409 (1907): 521–521. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.</ref> In some periods the mummified organs were returned to the body cavity, but the most common practice was to place them in their separate jars, known as canopic jars, to be buried alongside the mummy.

Next, the body was treated with salts inside and out in preparation for a desiccation process that took approximately thirty days.<ref>Ikram, <i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i> p. 1.</ref> This process of drying the body was the most important aspect of mummification because of the lack of moisture preserves the body tissues. Although the body would remain untouched while it dried, there was a great deal of ritual and prayer that took place around it. The entire process was intended to transform the deceased into the likeness of a god, much like the god of mummies and the underworld who was called Osiris.<ref>Hays,<i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i> p. 1.</ref>

After the desiccation process was complete, the body underwent thirty days of final preparations which included ritual, prayers, sprinkling aromatic sawdust over the body and anointing it with oils. The oils were both ritual and functional, as they likely softened the body in preparation for the delicate wrapping process, which was known to cause extremities to snap. Prayers were recited, and the body was wrapped in resin-dabbed linen and incense. It was the process of wrapping which was believed to transform the body from a deceased human to a divine being.<ref>Ikram,<i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i> p. 2.</ref> Once the deceased had been properly mummified, wrapped in linen and wearing its painted mask, wig and ceremonial beard, they were no longer a human. They had assumed a godlike form and were prepared for the afterlife.<ref>Riggs,<i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i> p. 4.</ref>

The process of mummification remained common, particularly for the noble classes, from the earliest dynasties all the way to the end of the time of Cleopatra. Although the details of the ritual changed, the intent remained the same; to preserve the body such that it can perform its essential role of housing the soul in the afterlife.