Mummies of the Pharaohs of Egypt

Ancient Egypt, probably the most famous civilization of the ancient world. The people who lived on the banks of the Nile for a thousand years before our era had their own original pantheon of gods and a rich culture. In the philistine consciousness with Ancient Egypt, the mummies of the pharaohs are most closely connected, which attract interest by their mystery and belonging to the cult of death.

The value of mummification

Ancient Egyptians believed that after death, a person goes to the afterlife. Therefore, the bodies of the richest and most influential inhabitants of the country after death were necessarily subjected to mummification. This was done with pharaohs, high priests, aristocrats. The process of processing the corpse was full of various subtleties, which were known only in ancient Egypt.

The superstitious inhabitants of the African country believed that the mummies of the pharaohs help their owners to go unhindered to the afterlife. In the mass consciousness, there was a firm belief that rulers are of divine origin, this made their connection with supernatural phenomena even closer. Mummies of the pharaohs were buried in special tombs - pyramids. This style of architecture was a unique Egyptian invention, which was an unprecedented innovation in the Ancient World. Neither in the Mediterranean, nor in the Mesopotamia did anything of the kind build at that time. The most famous are the pyramids of Giza.

The process of mummification

Mummification was considered the lot of the elect, but in fact it could be bought if the person wanted to secure a quiet stay in the afterlife, and also if he had enough money for this. But there were also procedures available only to pharaohs and members of their family. For example, only their organs were placed in special vessels (canopic). For this, the body of the deceased was cut in a special way. The holes were filled with oil, which was drained in a few days. Masters who engaged in mummification were privileged members of society. They knew the science of embalming unavailable to others. Over the centuries of the existence of Egyptian civilization, these secrets have not become known to other peoples, for example the Sumerians.

The organs in the vessels were kept next to the sarcophagus of the mummy. Secrets of the pharaohs were buried with their bodies. All personal belongings were placed in the tomb, which, according to the religious conviction of the ancient Egyptians, later served the owners in the other world as well. The same thing happened with the bodies that were supposed to return to the pharaohs, when they would be on the other side of being.

Mummy Treatment

The treated body was dried, which could last up to 40 days. The procedure allowed him to survive for many years. In order for the body not to lose its shape from natural processes, it was filled with a special solution, which also contained sodium. Necessary embalming substances were extracted on the banks of the Nile, which was the sacred river of the whole civilization.

Mummies of Egyptian pharaohs were also treated by cosmetologists and hairdressers. At the last stage, the body was covered with a special oil of wax, resin and other natural ingredients. At last the corpse was wrapped in bandages and placed in a sarcophagus, where a mask was put on it. In total, the process of mummification took about 70 days and included the work of a dozen people. The secret craft was taught the priests of the cult of Egyptian gods. It was impossible to disclose it. Violators of the law awaited the death penalty.

Valley of the Kings

Together with the mummy, all the property of the deceased was buried in the burial vault: ornaments, furniture, gold, and chariots, which in general were a symbol of belonging to the main social stratum. Members of one family, as a rule, had their own tomb, which became a family crypt. Archaeologists find several mummies in such pyramids. There were sacred places where a lot of pyramids were built. They were in the south of Egypt. This is the Valley of the Kings, as well as the Valley of the Queens. Here, representatives of several dynasties that ruled the ancient state found their peace.

The ancient capital of Egypt was the city of Thebes. It is in its place is the famous Valley of the Kings. This is a vast necropolis, in which many mummies of the pharaohs were kept . The valley was discovered almost by accident by the Rasul brothers by scientists during their expedition in 1871. Since then, the work of archaeologists has not stopped here for a single day.

Cheops

One of the most famous is the mummy of Pharaoh Cheops. He ruled Egypt in the XXVI century BC. E. His figure was known to ancient historians, including Herodotus. This fact already shows that this pharaoh was indeed great even in comparison with his predecessors and successors, because the names of many pharaohs in general were not preserved in any historical source.

Cheops was a despot, severely punishing his subjects for any oversight. He was merciless toward his enemies. This character was familiar to the rulers of Ancient Egypt, whose power, as contemporaries believed, derived from the gods, which gave the pharaohs carte blanche for any whims. At the same time, the people did not try to resist. Also, Cheops became famous for fighting on the Sinai Peninsula against the Bedouins.

The Pyramid of Cheops

But the greatest achievement of this pharaoh is precisely the pyramid, which was built for his own mummy. The rulers of Egypt were preparing for their death in advance. Already during the life of the pharaoh began the construction of his pyramid, where he had to find eternal peace. Not exception in this rule was Cheops.

However, its pyramid amazed by its size all contemporaries and distant descendants. It was included in the list of 7 ancient wonders of the world and remains the only monument from this list, which existed up to the present day.

The cult complex in Giza

The lost mummy of the Egyptian pharaoh was stored inside a huge labyrinth of corridors inside a structure 137 meters high. This figure was beaten only at the end of the XIX century, when the Eiffel Tower appeared in Paris. Cheops himself chose the place of his tomb. They became a plateau in the territory of the modern city of Giza. In his era, it was the northern edge of the cemetery of ancient Memphis - the capital of Egypt.

Together with the pyramid was created a monumental sculpture of the Great Sphinx, which is known to the whole world no worse than the pyramid itself. Cheops hoped that over time in this place there will be a whole complex of ritual structures dedicated to his dynasty.

Ramses II

Another great pharaoh of Egypt was Ramses II. He ruled almost his entire long life (1279-1213 BC). His name went down in history thanks to a series of military campaigns against neighbors. The conflict with the Hittites is best known. Ramzes built a lot during his lifetime. He founded several cities, most of which were named after him.

It was the ruler who changed and transformed the Ancient Egypt. Mummies of pharaohs often became objects of hunting of gravediggers. Was not the exception of the tomb of Ramses II. The priests of Egypt made sure that the royal necropolises remained untouched. While the ancient civilization still existed, the body of this ruler was reburied several times. At first, the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses was placed in the crypt of his own father. It is not known exactly when he was plundered, but in the end the priests found a new place for the body. They became a carefully hidden cache, which belonged to Pharaoh Herichor. There were also placed mummies from other tombs, robbed by robbers. These were the bodies of Thutmose III and Ramses III.

Fighting grave robbers

The cache was discovered only in the XIX century. First it was found by the Arab grave robbers. In those times it was a lucrative business, because in the African sands there were still many treasures that were sold for a good price in the European black markets. Typically, the robbers are interested in treasures and precious stones, and not the mummies of Egypt's pharaohs. Photos of ruined graves confirm this trend.

However, already in the XIX century, the Egyptian authorities created a special ministry that tracked the illegal trade in antiquities. Soon the source of jewelry was discovered. So in 1881, the untouched mummy of Ramses fell into the hands of scientists. Since then it has been kept in various museums. Studying it, researchers around the world are still getting new information about mummification. In 1975, the remains were subjected to a unique modern conservation procedure, which allowed to preserve the surviving artifact of the past.

This is an extreme luck for the scientific community. As a rule, when a new tomb is discovered, nothing remains in it, including mummies. Secrets of the Pharaohs and their wealth for many centuries attracted adventurers and traders.

Tutankhamun

In the popular culture, the most famous is the mummy of Tutankhamun. This pharaoh ruled at a young age from 1332 to 1323 BC. E. He died at the age of 20. During his lifetime, he did not stand out in the line of his predecessors and successors. His name became known due to the fact that his tomb was untouched by ancient marauders.

Modern scientific research of the mummy allowed to study in detail the circumstances of the death of a young man. Before that, it was widely believed that Tutankhamun had been forcibly killed by his regent. However, this is not confirmed by the mummy of the pharaoh of Egypt. The pyramid in which it was stored was full of phials with a remedy for malaria. Modern analysis of DNA did not exclude the version that the young man had a serious illness, because of which he died prematurely.

When a team of archaeologists discovered the crypt in 1922, it was full of all sorts of unique artifacts. It was the tomb of Tutankhamen that allowed modern science to recreate the situation in which the mummies of Egypt's pharaohs were buried. Photos of the tomb immediately penetrated the Western press and became a sensation.

The Curse of the Pharaohs

Even greater sensation around the tomb of Tutankhamun began when Lord George Carnavon, who financed a study of a distant find, suddenly died. The Englishman died in a Cairo hotel shortly after the ancient crypt was opened. The press immediately picked up this story. Soon new dead persons appeared, connected with the archaeological expedition. Rumors spread in the press that there is a curse that fell on the heads of those who entered the tomb.

A popular point of view was the idea that the source of evil was the pharaoh's mummy. Photos of the deceased were in widely obituary obituaries. Over time, there were denials, which loosened up the myth of the curse. Nevertheless, the legend became a popular subject of Western culture. In the XX century, several feature films on the curse were made.

In no small measure due to them the theme of Ancient Egypt has gained popularity among the broadest public. Known are any news in which this or that mummy appears. The tomb of the pharaohs, which would have been whole and untouched, has never been found since the time of Tutankhamun's discovery.