Why did the ancient Egyptians mummify people? [3 Reasons]

Why did the ancient Egyptians mummify people? Preserving a body through mummification helped a person reach the afterlife in three main ways - it provided a home base for the ka and the ba, helped a person become like Osiris, and gave the family more time to gather everything needed for the afterlife.
In this video, I walk you through these 3 reasons for mummification, so that you will know why the ancient Egyptians spent so much time and money turning bodies into what we call mummies.
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☥☥ RECOMMENDED BOOKS☥☥
(Note: the following links are affiliate links, which means that I receive a small commission [at no cost to you] when you make a purchase using one of these links. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make educational videos like this one. Thank you for your support!)
This book by Salima Ikram is my favorite general introduction to death, burial, and afterlife beliefs and practices. It is a great introduction to a variety of topics related to the afterlife, and has a particularly good section on mummification. I like it so much that I use it as the main text in one of my courses:
☥Ikram, Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt - amzn.to/2wXo6BS
If you’re looking for an introduction to the wider subject of ancient Egyptian religion, this book by Teeter is one I love to use when teaching ancient Egyptian religion. It covers many aspects of ancient Egyptian belief and ritual and devotes an entire chapter to death and afterlife beliefs and rituals:
☥Teeter, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt - amzn.to/2BhmiZs
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☥☥PHOTO CREDITS☥☥
All photos used in this video are licensed for non-commercial and commercial use. Credits included when attribution is required:
Thumbnail credits:
Mummy icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Video credits:
Ba Bird: Wikimedia user Jeff Dahl (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Group Statue of Ka-nefer and His Family (Kimbell Art Museum): Wikimedia Commons (photographer unnamed) commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Osiris: Wikimedia user Jeff Dahl (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Isis: Wikimedia user Jeff Dahl (upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...)
Nephthys: Wikimedia user Jeff Dahl (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Anubis: Wikimedia user Jeff Dahl (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Presentation to Osiris in papyrus of Ani: © Trustees of the British Museum
Egyptian temple icon: made by freepik [www.flaticon.com/authors/freepik] from www.flaticon.com
Egyptian Chair: Brina Christine (brinachristine.blogspot.com/20...)

[@akmmuhitulislam2629]

Don’t you think they had any expectations of coming back to life? Couldn’t they have wanted to preserve their bodies in hope of some future technology that could bring them back to life? They could have been also funding such researches for ages, which is why they might have hoped that such technology will be discovered in future (where we clearly failed)

[@gamdanyunizar7849]

This idea is so wild I love it

[@rakistaromeo]

To preserve human DNA. Ancient humans had the technology of transferring consciousness to a cloned body. That's according to the Emerald tablets of Thoth.

[@ygpwnxd_xd752]

@@gamdanyunizar7849 👈 Once you die it’s all finito, no turning back your dead permanently and nobody on this planet can bring you back alive . R I P

[@CazzyGurl29]

Body fully preserved for thousands of years waiting for future technology that can clone their DNA in the 21st century to bring them back from the dead, could you imagine cloning King Tut in the 21st century 😮

[@Megan-tm4hy]

In the bible it's says we all go back to our own bodys. I think they had expectations of coming back to them

[@LLLLGLLLL]

Thank you this helped me with my project :)

[@sukhwinderbring108]

This helped me a lot in my PowerPoint.Thank you.

[@mereltjet]

Very interesting video thank you this helped me a lot with my project

[@susansoules2486]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@VoicesofAncientEgypt]

Thank you for the comment, Sue. It means a lot to know that my video was informative and appreciated.

[@azozabunada219]

Thank so much you answered my queuing for homework

[@vikramSingh00317]

After listening such a nice voice I can said history is no boring

[@maaannpurnafoodrecipes3897]

Which app do u use to make videos like these??pls tell

[@DarkWafflesOfDoom]

This was great! I have a question about what you said at ~01:25 in the video. "... but they needed the body, or an image of the person such as a statue..." I'm wondering if this means that we have good reason to believe that the statues are/were an accurate representation of what they really looked like? I've always wondered if some painting or statues of people throughout history were sometimes intentionally modified because they wanted the person to look better. Whether it be a smaller nose, a different chin, etc. To put it another way, does this give us reason to believe that they were accurate and not idealized versions of themselves? Also, was mummification practiced by the poor as well? Was it something everyone had the ability to do? I'm imagining the process couldn't have been easily done (or needed to be done in a specific way) and that it may have warranted bringing the body to a sort of artisanal expert in mummification?

[@VoicesofAncientEgypt]

Hi ghfujyfjbvjmy! You pose some very interesting questions that have somewhat complicated answers. The short answer about portraits is that for most of ancient Egyptian history, true portraiture was not created (exceptions are the Greco-Roman Period and arguably the Amarna period). While statues (and 2-D paintings, etc.) were personalized, most especially by adding a person's name (the name was also extremely important part of the person - a video on this is coming later in this series). They may have personalized in other ways that are smaller and harder for us to judge, but overall representations of people fall on the idealized/generalized end of things. Styles of how people are represented do change over time and each individual statue or painting varies at least a little bit, even in the same time period, but they still seem to be an idealized, or at least generalized, representation of the person. For this reason, people from a given time period tend to look very much alike and much like the king of the time in the art. To answer your second question, poor people were not mummified. The vast majority of people were buried in simple graves without any noticeable (to us today) treatment to their bodies. There do seem to have been different methods of mummification and the Greek historian Herodotus claims that (during his time - 5th century B.C.) there were three levels of mummification, depending on how much you could pay. We don't have other evidence to back up the ideal of the three levels, but we do have evidence for some variation in the practice, even during the same time period. Interestingly, even some people who appear to have had plenty of wealth to afford mummification were not mummified and we do not understand why. For example, there is a case of a woman from Deir el-Medina who seems to have been fairly well off, but was buried only 2 days after death. I hope that some day in the not-to-distant future we'll be able to understand these variations in practice better than we do now.

[@DarkWafflesOfDoom]

Thank you so much for the response; it has just what I was looking for! Also, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and I'm happy that I now know a bit more about ancient Egypt. :) Your last paragraph is quite interesting and I'm now wondering why she wasn't mummified, too! Who knows what kind of knowledge the future holds. For example, we've only very recently (comparatively speaking) deciphered hieroglyphics. I can't wait for people to uncover other archaeological finds that will help shed light on these (and other) ancient people! Similarly, the Dead Sea Scrolls were a massive discover. Stuff like that really excites me!

[@ankitsinghal4452]

Came here after they opened a 2500 years old mummy tomb,amd now i know why egyptians mummified the dead bodies. Thanks ya!!

[@janetcraft]

Very good and simple introduction. I even took down notes. Mummy 🤗🌙

[@VoicesofAncientEgypt]

That's wonderful to hear, Janet! Thanks!

[@michellegomez8256]

Are there still people today who mummify their dead?

[@noahmalik]

Answered my question and much more. Great video! (Mummy!)

[@VoicesofAncientEgypt]

I'm glad to hear that the video was helpful and enjoyable!

[@annegwynne-robson8949]

Love the book recommendations! I've never seen a KZbin channel do that before :)

[@VoicesofAncientEgypt]

So glad you enjoyed the recommendations!

[@swallahfauzia2835]

Thanks you

[@lopaschannel1782]

How much instrument do you need for mummification .

[@samval2000]

Nice

[@gabbzmiztergaming7813]

Interesting

[@lopaschannel1782]

Which specific peoples use to do the mummification.

[@sharonan1]

I'm not seeing the poll, but I don't think I want to be mummified after death. Great video!

[@VoicesofAncientEgypt]

Thanks!

[@sarawananchandran5363]

Lol me either

[@Yohahnhandz612]

You mentioned nothing about the judgement scene that involves maat

[@rajeevgupta5845]

Can you tell me mummification body.why scientists open Egypt mummification?

[@ghostedcartoon]

cool

[@gigstheartist682]

People here in South Africa bury their people with blankets and building material so that the person don't get cold in the after life the Xhosa people do that I've seen it numerous times they also make food offerings the dead and on that day they do a big ceremony

[@gemsamaa]

How did you arrive at the conclusion that the Egyptians feared death

[@kumatoni5245]

Is it true Osiris's first names were Billy Ray?

[@amberralo1892]

How do they come back?Mummy

[@depthsssd1523]

that makes me ant to be mummified

[@chariguy1719]

not alone depthsss D

[@miyazuchiha1894]

what happens when the body is mummified?

[@samyakfule4422]

Mummy

[@chariguy1719]

can i get mummified? edit: whoever replies can be in my tomb

[@depthsssd1523]

you can get mummified if i can.

[@JesusChrist-mr4xp]

oh dont click show more ha why did u

[@threeormorechars]

I wanna be in your tomb

[@chariguy1719]

@@threeormorechars alright guess your in

[@autocorrectly764]

I don’t wanna be in ur tomb Ohno I’m gonna be in ur tomb

[@seventysevensquare]

No one, Literally no one. Le this channel:- Why the heck...😂

[@japchaptv2878]

Mummification is done in order to prevent the body from being petrified..

[@saffannagani5723]

Mam ma Mia!

[@J.kahlelOfficial]

They wanted to preserve their dna so their descendants can resurrect them.

[@TstudioVs]

They know how to dna develope from mummy's

[@joshgraham6518]

#Mummy

[@tehneatsarvat2297]

Lalo

[@Jellyfishmustard]

mummy

[@Jellyfishmustard]

plz pin and heart

[@Santiago-nx1rm]

yes mommy

[@KPistols1993]

I 100% wanna be mummified lol

[@NuqsStuff]

You wanna stuck in the desert temple for days for weeks for months for years?

[@Rotisiv]

Gladly ✂️ 🍯 🧻

[@ChinoAntrraXx]

THEY POWERED THE WHOLE CITY OFF ONE GUY

[@Ok-qj6fg]

Mummy!

[@crescar4813]

Mummmmmmy

[@autocorrectly764]

Why is everyone except others are saying mummy in the comments ok. Mummy

[@chrais78]

Mummy.

[@lopaschannel1782]

In Ancient Egypt can everyone do the mummification.

[@divyasalian8610]

no

[@Foxsxxy]

Mummy fr

[@SAL-9000]

Mommy. D'oh!

[@lanaa2048]

mummy :)

[@JesusChrist-mr4xp]

m u m m y

[@mayoman5446]

Yea you would like us to say mummy you sick

[@eww7263]

Munmmy

[@icyfoxi2755]

Mummi

[@spoeanalytics3377]

mommy

[@Mildred-sr4ge]

lol me too

[@ghost-jf9uj]

i wont be dead because im too young to die im 11 yeard old .

[@hellomynameisarchie6511]

rEeEeeEeEeEEeEeEEeEeEeE kid

[@jackieremis6533]

MUMMY

[@mohamedhefzy1562]

Mummy [& Daddy] lol

[@SarastistheSerpent]

Mummy lol

[@adventureswithforest]

Mummy 👍

[@dieselblaze6665]

Well death and taxes are inevitable, but decomposition doesn't have to be the same. I think I'd go for being mummified, though I imagine I might not be able to afford it.

[@ChinoAntrraXx]

AND IT WUS NO KING LMFAO THEY DID THAT TO ONE ENEMY

[@abhinavdubey153]

Daddy

[@grimthegreat6799]

What the h dude-

[@ChinoAntrraXx]

MUMUFICATION LOL IT WUS JUST TO TAKE OUT THE FLUIDS OFF THE PERSON MADE ELECTRICITY OUT OF POPELE AND DRUGS

[@rishadsouza3779]

No i don't want to be mummified, just for the fear of after life. So much waste of time by these Egyptian people. But yes ! There is a best way to see after life that is recieving Eternal Life, by the Spirit and the Bride ( Revelation 22:17) I hope all will follow the true God to receive Eternal life.in the kingdom of heaven

[@AddressDaFact]

Lol!! They did not fear death. They was so beyond there time with knowledge, they felt like they can conquer death, and came up with the theory of "Life after death". Osiris real name was Asur. This is false information...

[@joshcasey6288]

How did they build the pyramids if they were so behind in time??

[@AddressDaFact]

@@joshcasey6288 Beyond Foh

[@sameepakulkarni1589]

no i dont want to be mummified

[@rajeevgupta5845]

Can you tell me mummification body.why scientists open Egypt mummification?

[@julierivera893]

Mummy

[@cecip2658]

Mummy!

[@dieufortmoleus3482]

mummy

[@emilybarrera1328]

Mummy

[@calvinglass1265]

Mummy

[@swallahfauzia2835]

Mummy

[@mredior12345]

Mummy

[@VOID1121]

Mummy

[@vihangageenod8982]

Mummy

[@demarianwilliams4301]

Mummy

[@bobstones9049]

Mummy

[@haritha.s6476]

Mummy

[@dorothealebeau8585]

Mummy

[@cybelebergez3579]

mummy

[@jaedenjohn2978]

mummy

[@dorisxu4743]

mummy

[@andersonlee4255]

mummy

[@cyrenael.bernardino3652]

mummy

[@tyorange0913]

mummy