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Question 5: What materials did they use to mummify a body?

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Question 5: What materials did they use to mummify a body?

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Many different materials were used in mummification. In Egypt, for example, they were known to often used material such as linen pads and sawdust to fill the abdomen, linen to wrap the body, resin and oils to soak the body, and beeswax for the embalming process.

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Question 4: How old is the oldest mummy found to date?

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Question 4: How old is the oldest mummy found to date?

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The oldest wrapped up mummy was in fact not found in Egypt like most people would think. It was actually found in South America. To be more specific in the Southern area of Peru and the Northern area of Chile. It is believed that the oldest person to be found in this finding was up to 7,000 years old.

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Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au You might also like the podcast Imagine This, a co-production between ABC KIDS listen and The Conversation, based on Curious Kids.

Who was the first ancient mummy wrapped up? - Jake, age 5, Swansea.

The first mummy to be wrapped up comes from the Chinchorro culture of South America, in the area of southern Peru and northern Chile. The oldest of these mummies was a person who died in 5050 BC, over 7,000 years ago. These Chinchorro mummies are 2,000 years older than the mummies in ancient Egypt!

One of these Chinchorro mummies was preserved by nature, and was not wrapped up, and it is 9,000 years old (meaning it is from 7,020 BC).

Chinchorro means "gill netters", which is their way of fishing with nets. The Chinchorro people lived by the sea, the Atacama Coast, along the Pacific Ocean. Most of what they ate was seafood (fish and shellfish), sea birds and sometimes sea lions. They also hunted animals for meat and collected some plants, too.

Pictures of these mummies may frighten some curious kids. Parents are advised to search and look at images online before showing them to children.

These mummies have remained the same until today because the place where the Chinchorro lived was very dry, even though they lived by the ocean. Much of this area is a desert and some areas have not had rain in over 400 years!

Read more: Curious Kids: who were the Spartans?

How are Chinchorro mummies made?

The Chinchorro had different ways of preserving (to keep safely so that it does not spoil) the dead bodies. They would start by removing all the organs inside the body, even the brain. The hair and skin would also be removed using stone tools, not metal knives. Some of the sharpest knives were made using a pelican's beak.

Sometimes, the head, arms and legs would be removed and the body was put back together later. The body would be dried out using a mixture of hot coals from a fire, as well as ash. They would place sticks inside the body to keep the body stiff and fill the insides with straw and feathers. The face would be covered in clay and left out to dry for 30-40 days. Sometimes the bodies would be painted red or black.

How did the Chinchorro mummies die?

Some of these bodies had diseases and broken bones. Arthritis and bone decay are two common diseases. Some mummies have damage in their ears suggesting that some people may have been deaf. This damage likely came from diving in the ocean for shellfish. Many mummies have broken bones that have gotten better. These injuries are either from accidents at work or fighting inside the community.

All sorts of people were made into mummies - men, women and children, young and older people, too. Even some babies were mummified, which could be because they died during childbirth; these babies were some of the most decorated mummies.

After the mummy was finished, it was not buried. People would put them in their houses and other places where people lived, worked and played. Some people think the mummies brought good luck.

We are not exactly sure why the Chinchorro made these mummies but we think it is because they cared for their dead families and wanted to keep their physical body, and their memory, alive forever.

Read more: Curious Kids: Are zombies real?
Hello, curious kids! Have you got a question you'd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au Please tell us your name, age and which city you live in. We won't be able to answer every question but we will do our best.

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Curious Kids: who was the first ancient mummy?

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Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au You might also like the podcast Imagine This, a co-production between ABC KIDS listen and The Conversation, based on Curious Kids. Who was the first ancient mummy wrapped up?

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Contrary to my initial belief, King Tut was NOT found buried in a pyramid. He was actually discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt.

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Background Info Vocabulary

On November 4, 1922, a team headed by British Egyptologist Howard Carter began excavating the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. Tutankhamun, nicknamed King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled from 1333 BCE (when he was just nine years old) until his death in 1323 BCE. After he died, Tutankhamun was mummified, according to tradition, and buried in a tomb filled with artwork, jewelry, and treasures. Shifting desert sands quickly hid the tomb, and it lay mostly hidden for more than 3,000 years.

On November 4, Carter's team found the first step of a staircase. The next day, his team exposed the whole staircase, and by the end of November, an antechamber, a treasury, and the door to the tomb itself were uncovered. After making a tiny breach in the door, Carter saw a room filled with gold treasures on November 26. But it wasn't until much later that the sarcophagus containing Tutankhamen's mummy was revealed.

area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year.

stone coffin, usually decorated with inscriptions.

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Editor

Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society

Producer

Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society

Last Updated

April 27, 2021

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Excavation King Tutankhamun's Tomb Begins

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Background Info Vocabulary On November 4, 1922, a team headed by British Egyptologist Howard Carter began excavating the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. Tutankhamun, nicknamed King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled from 1333 BCE (when he was just nine years old) until his death in 1323 BCE.

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Question 2: What does the word "mummy" derive from?

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Question 2: What does the word "mummy" derive from?

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Originally, I thought the word "mummy" was just the noun version of mummified, but, after further research, I was quickly disproved. First, the word mumia (Latin) was borrowed from the Arabic word mūmiya AND the Persian word Mum which translates to wax. When roughly translated, you get the phrased "embalmed corpse"

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A 3D rendering of an Ancient Egyptian tomb.

A mummy is the corpse of a human or animal that has skin and organs that have been preserved, either intentionally or accidentally, so that it does not continue to decay. The preservation of the deceased body can occur due to exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, low humidity, or a lack of air. The most well-known mummies, such as those from ancient Egyp t, were deliberately embalmed using chemicals to ensure preservation.

Origin of the Term "Mummy"

The term "mummy" is derived from the Latin word mumia, which is a borrowed word from the Arabic word mūmiya and the Persian word mūm, meaning "wax", which roughly translate to "enbalmed corpse", as well as an enbalming substance.Unwrapped mummies were observed to have blackened skin, which led to a misconception that the embalming procedures in ancient Egypt used bitumen. Additionally, in Medieval English the word "mummy" referred to the preparation of the substance of mummies, rather than the full deceased body.

Mummies in Ancient Egypt

The oldest mummy from ancient Egypt dates back to 3300 BC, and was nicknamed "Ginger" due to its red hair. The mummy was discovered along with various pottery vessels that may have contained food and drink that were believed to be needed during the afterlife. While "Ginger" is the oldest mummy discovered in ancient Egypt, it is not as famous as the mummies of pharaohs, such as Seti I or Rameses II.

Mummification Process

The mummification process in ancient Egypt was among the most elaborate in the world. Ancient Egyptians believed that the body needed preparation so that the "ka", the life force, and one of the most integral parts of the soul, would have a home. The mummification process was performed on the corpse to ensure it retained a resemblance to the person before death. The ancient Egyptians believed that close resemblance allowed the "ka"to identify its body. For royalty and the wealthy, the initial phase involved washing the corpse and removing all internal organs, except for the heart. The body and organs would then be placed in natron salt to remove moisture and prevent decomposition. Once dry, the body would then be embalmed in oils, wrapped in linen, and placed in a chest. The mummification process was less complex for the poor.

Mummies in China

Several Indo-European Chinese mummies dating back to 1600 BC have also been discovered. These mummies point to ancient interactions between the Eastern and Western worlds. The mummified remains are thought to have been from ancient Tocharians, who occupied present-day Xinjiang, China. Among the most famous mummies from the region is the "handsome Yingpan man."

Natural Mummies

Naturally preserved human mummies are relatively rare and are also among the oldest. In Europe, the Otzi mummy, dating back to 3300 BC, was found preserved in a glacier on the Austrian-Italian border. In the United States, a mummy discovered in the state of Nevada dates back to 7400 BC.

Modern Mummies

An esoteric organization called Summum began modern mummification in 1975 as a commercial mummification business. In 1978, German anatomist Gunther von Hagens developed a process of preserving bodies or body parts through an advanced technique called plastination, which essentially replaces water and fat and with certain plastics.

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A mummy is the corpse of a human or animal that has skin and organs that have been preserved, either intentionally or accidentally, so that it does not continue to decay. The preservation of the deceased body can occur due to exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, low humidity, or a lack of air.

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Question 1: What else where mummies remains used for.

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Question 1: What else where mummies remains used for.

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Mummies remains were used for many different things due to the exorbitant amount of mummies that were uncovered in Egypt during the railroad expansion. For example, they were used for locomotive fuel and even grounded up and used in medicine.

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The act of mummifying a dead body is intended to preserve it so it does not decay further. In many ancient cultures this act was steeped in ritual, and mummified bodies have been found on every continent in the world. However, through histories these mummified remains have been used in a variety of bizarre and peculiar ways.

Although it is not confirmed, Mummy paper is believed to be paper made from the linen wrappings of mummies imported into the United States in 1855. In the 1850s, the US was suffering a shortage of paper, producing more than England and France combined. To combat this, the papermakers utilised the wrappings from mummies that were found in huge burial sites known as "mummy pits" in Egypt. Mummies were also ground up and used in medicine and there are even reports of mummies being used to fuel locomotives. Ground up mummies were also used to paint with, in a pigment known as "mummy brown", and they were even used to make oils, soaps and incense.

To discover more insane historical facts, pick up a copy of All About History today

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The strange truth behind Egyptian mummies | All About History

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The act of mummifying a dead body is intended to preserve it so it does not decay further. In many ancient cultures this act was steeped in ritual, and mummified bodies have been found on every continent in the world. However, through histories these mummified remains have been used in a variety of bizarre and peculiar ways.