The embalming, which was performed in a purpose-built workshop erected near the grave, took place over 70 days that were divided into two main periods – a 35-day drying period and a 35-day wrapping period.ĭuring the drying period, the body was treated with dry natron both inside and outside.
the drying of the body with natron, have been omitted from the text, Sofie Schiødt explains. The text reads like a memory aid, so the intended readers must have been specialists who needed to be reminded of these details, such as unguent recipes and uses of various types of bandages. Many descriptions of embalming techniques that we find in this papyrus have been left out of the two later manuals, and the descriptions are extremely detailed.
The manual has recently been edited by University of Copenhagen Egyptologist Sofie Schiødt: Most secrets of the art were probably passed on orally from one embalmer to the other, Egyptologists believe, so written evidence is scarce until recently, only two texts on mummification had been identified.Įgyptologists were therefore surprised to find a short manual on embalming in a medical text that is primarily concerned with herbal medicine and swellings of the skin. In ancient Egypt, embalming was considered a sacred art, and knowledge of the process was the preserve of very few individuals. The papyrus contains new evidence of the procedure for embalming the deceased's face, where the face is covered with a piece of red linen and aromatic substances. It is the oldest surviving manual on mummification yet discovered. Based on a manual recently discovered in a 3,500-year-old medical papyrus, University of Copenhagen Egyptologist Sofie Schiødt has been able to help reconstruct the embalming process used to prepare ancient Egyptians for the afterlife.
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