How the Egyptians mummified their dead? It would seem that this question is rather well investigated. However, two American experts - Egyptologist Bob Brier and anatomist Ron Wad - I tried to answer it again. They undertook to make the mummy of Egyptian canons, in order to understand what difficulties they had to overcome their colleagues, who lived almost four thousand years ago. Thus was born the latest mummy in the world.
In search of eternal life

In the minds of people had an idea that the soul of man never dies. But how is it able to survive, if destroyed flesh? And people sought to extend the days of the flesh, sheltering soul, prevent breakup, drying up, balsagira, mummifying the dead.

The body of the deceased Pharaoh and the God Anubis

This technique our ancestors discovered, apparently by accident. In many regions of the Earth, the dead body change into mummies themselves, naturally. Imperishable images of the deceased meet scientists in the mountain regions of Peru, in the ice of Greenland, the marshes in Northern and Central Europe. At the end of the last century on the Western Bank of the Nile was found about three thousand graves dated to around 4000 BC, the Majority of the buried bodies turned into a mummy due to special climatic conditions. Maybe without the help of nature, the Egyptians were not able to develop his famous technique of mummification.

...The room was fragrant with myrrh and anise. In the light whitened scattering of soda. The recent body of the son of God, lying on the table, approached the silent man, whose face was hidden by a mask of a Jackal. In his hands was a metal hook. The priests who were pressing into the side, was drawn fists holding them with stones, ready to fling at the surgeon that violated the divine flesh of Pharaoh.

Such a colorful description of the long-known scientists. It would seem, for them there are no secrets in the ancient rite, turned in just two and a half months the body of the deceased person is not available to corruption shape, ready to be resurrected and live indefinitely beyond the grave, in the Kingdom of the God Osiris. The Egyptians liked to grant eternal life to his recent tribesmen. However, full mummification has had only the head of the government: the Pharaoh, his family members, prominent priests and dignitaries. However, their small amount of immortality relied and people easier. From their mummies have not checked out the insides. They were not stuffed with exquisite drugs, not wrapped in expensive fabrics, not covered securities amulets. But their shells were waiting for eternal life, "real".

The foreigners who came to Egypt, often tried to known the secret technique of doctors and priests, conjuring with bodies that ever had to rest in a sarcophagus. Their descriptions are preserved. Them and decided to follow in 1994, two American scientists - Professor Bob Brier from the University of long island and anatomist Ron Wad at the University of Maryland. To confer immortality on the ancient manner they chose a certain netname American, bequeathed his body to science. Well, science, long-bewitched his soul, now appeared on his flesh.
The younger brother of Ramses

In the main advisers themselves Bar and Wad initially chose two great wisdom of historians Herodotus, and Diodorus the Sicilian, who visited Egypt. "At first they pull curves with iron hooks brain, putting them through his nostrils," wrote about the year 450 "father of history" Herodotus. He searched for the cause and not being afraid of the priests which are picturesquely beat them with stones, but, of course, trying not to cause the body serious RAS, Bar and Wad suddenly broke off. "The classical method has not acted, " recalled anatomist. - The brain of the deceased was too wet and liquid. It was impossible to pry hook and delete.

Where instructive was the recording that was made in 1911, the German researcher Karl Sudhoff, personally observed how the Egyptians remove the brain of the human body "Slightly materialmany (softened) brain shuffled, and then turned the deceased on his stomach. Brain came out almost completely." For its excavation used bronze hook, who described Sudhoff. On behalf of Bob Brier was made exactly the same hook bronze - an alloy of copper and tin, known to the Egyptians.

Wad gently slipped into the nasal cavity bronze wire, act as a chisel, and then, shaking up the brain, and gave him to flow through the nose. To delete the last remnants of fabric from the skull, Wad inserted in the nose of a stem, having fixed at the other end of the leather bubble filled with water. He again and again injected fluid in the head of the deceased, until there began to stream down pure water. Then the doctor gently dry wall skull with linen cloth. The first step was made. "Certainly ancient surgeons do so," said Wad.

Now relied through the hole in the trunk to remove internal organs outside of the heart and kidneys, pointed supervisor surgeons Sicilian Diodorus (80-23 BC), which ever talk with the Egyptian priests in the heart of Memphis. Deleted inside the doctor put in a special stone vessels - "canopy". Later of these bodies also prepared mummy.

Taking a razor-obsidian - this stone mined in Ethiopia, probably used the Egyptian doctors - Ron Wad made a cut on the belly. "First we have removed the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, and pancreas, and then spleen, bladder, kidneys, and the rest of the digestive tract" - recalled the doctor. To manipulate had very carefully so as not to extend the incision. For example, light was "just pull out: they were large, but wet, like a sponge, so they easily managed to squeeze". But with the liver is a large, solid education - had some trouble: extract it through a tiny hole "that is, to bear a child."

Contrary to the precepts of Diodorus his American disciples removed and kidneys. "We thought in those days Egyptian doctors removed the bodies almost blind and certainly could be wrong. Many of the experts of embalming, perhaps, and did not know that such a body as the kidneys, exists at all," said Bob Brier. At that time, the autopsy was not practiced.

Another case is the heart. It remained in the chest of the deceased. For Egyptians heart was the seat of the soul and the seat of thought. When the late crossed the threshold of the afterlife realm, he was waiting for the court of Osiris. His heart was weighed. If it were easy as a feather, the deceased was in the Land of the Blessed. If the heart was burdened with the sins of the deceased was devouring monster with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a lion and the ass of a hippopotamus.

Instead of the removed organs, Bar and Wad placed into the cavity of the abdomen 29 linen bags filled with soda. To view the body of the deceased was "normal". Nobody wanted to appear before the bright eyes of Osiris mutilated beyond recognition.

After this preliminary stage you can start making mummies. The body was put on the table and covered with soda, sprinkled it and extracted the inside. Scientists have spent 262 kg of soda. She dried future mummy and protect it from bacteria. Within 35 days the body of the deceased and his organs were kept at a temperature of 40 degrees - in "desert heat".

"Soda completely soaked with moisture, now she smelled like wet sand" - recalled Wad. During this time the body has lost 35 kilograms of water - nearly half his body weight. Leather mummy got characteristic black-and-brown in color. The body is hardened and researchers took a huge effort to extract lying inside the bags soda. Finally, Bar and Wad rubbed the mummy mix cooked recipe Hellenic experts. It consisted of cedar oil, palm wine, Lotus seeds, myrrh, anise and other spices. Then the body was carefully wrapped in linen bandages, missing their cedar resin that they are hardened.

Now again we were supposed to make a break for 35 days. Bar and Ood for fidelity waited four and a half months. Only after expiration of the fixed term, they proceeded to the final stage of mummification. During those months of late has lost the last remains of the liquid. The body of a man that weighed before his death, 84 kg, now weighed only 31 kg

Only then the scientists realized that one mistake they made. Having decided to cross on the breast of the late hands, they could not bend: they are literally petrified. "We had to lay down his arms after the first five weeks, but somehow we never thought of that," said the doctor.

Scrubbed and washed the innards have found last shelter in four canopo, decorated with the heads of the four gods. They symbolized a man, a baboon, a Falcon and a dog.

With caution scientists wrapped mummy. They tied each finger separately. Finally Bob Brier said the proper prayers in ancient Egyptian language. Of course, he is not sure that the residents of the Country of pharaohs would understand his strange accent, but in such a solemn moment to do without ancient spells it was impossible. Perhaps they really helped this old American to go to court to a foreign God, where he is - and why not? - joyfully welcomed zadushila new compatriots famous Emperor Ramses.

...Today, after six years, scientists have found that did everything right, but that's arms are not crossed. Tests show that the body of the deceased is in good condition. No traces of corruption there. Now this new Egyptian mummy became the object of scrutiny of colleagues and students. The operation showed how should perform modifitsirovanie, if you wish to adhere to the ancient Canon. Now, knowing what is happening with the body, in turn imperishable nature, it will be easier explore ancient mummies, analyze, what way of life led man, what diseases he was overcome and what caused his death.