Year 3 Mummification of Pharaoh Lewis

There was much excitement in Year 3 on Thursday morning as the children silently entered the Ibu (‘beautiful house’) with Mrs Atkinson to undertake the mummification of Pharaoh Lewis. The children carried out each step of the process, starting with washing the body in water from the River Nile. 

Rather gruesomely, the next step involved removing the brain through the nose with a crotchet hook – yuk! Many squeals of hilarity ensued!  The ancient Egyptians believed that the brain was not important and that the heart was the centre of intelligence, so they threw the brain away, and left the heart in the body. The children were eager to carry out the next step, removing Pharaoh Lewis’s organs!  The liver, stomach, intestines and lungs were removed and placed into canopic jars – lots of giggles, especially taking out the intestines (stuffed tights painted brown!). Once the organs were removed, the body was then carefully packed with linen and sawdust, covered in natron (a type of salt) and left to dry out in the hot, Egyptian sun for 40 day (about 40 seconds in our case!).

Once ready and returned, the body was washed again and covered it in oils, to help the skin to keep it’s elasticity. The final step of the process involved the children very carefully wrapping the body, from each individual finger, arms and legs, then eventually the whole body. The body was then ready to be placed in the sarcophagus, for the journey the to the afterlife to begin. A fun-packed, interactive and informative morning was had by all.

A big thank you to Pharaoh Lewis for being such a good sport and allowing us to mummify her!