Mummification

• By the start of the New Kingdom, around 1550 B.C., the Egyptians had perfected the art of mummification. The best mummies were processed for 70 days, beginning with the removal of all body organs except for the heart and the skeleton. The brain was sucked out through the nostrils because ancient Egyptians attached no importance to it. The body was then filled with a desiccating substance called natron and left alone for 45 days to dry. It was then covered in linen wrappings with protective amulets placed between the layers.
  
  

Book of the Dead

• The ancient Egyptians believed that for the dead to be able to join their god Osiris, they must memorize spells, chants, prayers, passwords and numbers to help them overcome the challenges in the afterlife. These were included in the "Book of the Dead," an Egyptian funerary text written in papyrus scrolls and buried with the dead inside the sarcophagus. No two Books of the Dead are alike. Each one is written specifically for a certain person.
  
  

Grave Goods

• Tombs during the Middle Kingdom had plenty of grave goods, or funerary objects that helped the dead arrive at their destination. The most common of these were shabtis, canopic jars, and burial masks. Shabtis were small Egyptian statues that were called upon by the dead to perform manual labor for them. Canopic jars are vessels of clay or stone with stoppers in the shape of human, baboon, falcon and jackal heads. These jars contained the internal organs of the body of the dead. A burial mask was placed over the face of the dead to strengthen the spirit and guard against evil spirits in the afterlife.
  
  

Daily Supplies

• The affairs of daily life continue even after death. This is why the Egyptians packed their dead with everyday objects that would help them along the way. Food was always provided, along with clothes, wigs and professional tools used by the dead when they were alive. Models of these supplies were also used, such as drawings of food on the walls of the sarcophagus. It was believed that these models would magically transform into real objects when the dead needed them.
  
  

The Opening of the Mouth

• Central to the burial procedure was the opening of the mouth ceremony, which was believed to bring back the senses of the dead so they could see, hear, smell, breathe and eat the food offered to them. When the mummified body arrived at the tomb, it was set up facing south and purified with water, natron and incense. A priest opened the mouth of the dead with his fingers. The relatives of the dead butchered an ox and cut off the forelegs to point toward the mouth of the dead. It was believed that the life force in the ox was then transferred to the dead through its mouth. The dead person's son then opened the mouth with an iron adze and touched it with his little finger before offering loaves of bread, cakes, sweets, grapes and wine to the dead.