Write 3 paragraphs and use formal language. Also write it like a 13 year old wrote it.

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The Process of Mummification
The king was dead. All Egypt was in mourning. Preparations for the king’s funeral had begun when he was alive. His elaborate tomb had already been constructed. Now builders hurried to make it ready to receive the royal remains. As Egyptians believed in life after death, the priests gathered together the king’s favorite belongings to be entombed with him. From the palace, they took clothing and furniture, even the toys the king played with as a child. They gathered belongings that he would need for his journey to the next world.
The priests of Osiris, god of the underworld, had a tremendous responsibility. In the next world, the king would become one with the god, so it was necessary for his body to remain forever as it was in life. It was the job of Osiris’ priests to keep the usual effects of death from happening to the ruler’s body.
Over time, the dead bodies of once-living things decay into the chemicals that formed them. The ancient Egyptians had no idea how this process worked. But they had noted from a very early date that moisture made a body decay more quickly. Bodies found in the dry sands of the Egyptian desert stayed whole for a much longer time. Therefore the Egyptians tested many different chemicals to find the ones that worked best to preserve, or embalm, dead bodies. In the language of the Arabs, who conquered Egypt around the year AD 640, the word for an embalmed body is mumiya. From this word comes our English word mummy.
The priests began their work on the day the king died. First, they shaved his head and body. Then they took out the brain by pulling it through the nose with a hook. They used a naturally occurring material, which we call natron, to dry out the inside of the skull.
Next, the priests made a cut in the side of the body. They carefully removed the stomach and other organs. These would be embalmed separately. And stored in canopic jars. The tops of these jars were small statues of the dead king. The jars would be placed in the tomb. Only the heart and kidneys, which were believed to be the seat of the soul, would be returned to the body.
The next step was to wash out the empty chest and dry it with natron. Then the priests filled it with myrrh, a fragrance from a tree, and linen. For people who were not rich or important as a king, sawdust would be used instead of these costly materials.
Lastly, the priests placed the whole body in natron to soak up any remaining moisture. Then they wrapped in hundreds of yarns of the finest linen. They wrapped each finger and toe separately, then the arms and legs. They continue until the whole body was wrapped. Between the layers of cloth the priests placed jewelry, plates of gold and the names of the important gods and goddesses written on pieces of papyrus.
The entire process took 70 days. This information was provided in a book that was discovered in 1840. It is mainly a collection of prayers and songs that priests would sing as they prepared the mummy which were meant to ensure the ruler a safe journey to the next world.

1 answer

The ancient Egyptians had a very different way of looking at life and death than many people do today. They believed that when someone died, like their king, it was not just the end but rather the beginning of a new journey in the afterlife. Mourning was a very serious event, and preparations for the king's funeral began even before he passed away. They built massive tombs filled with all sorts of items that the king might need in his next life, such as clothes, furniture, and even toys he loved as a child. This shows how much they cared about their rulers and their beliefs, which were deeply rooted in their culture.

The role of the priests during the mummification process was incredibly important. They had the duty to ensure that the king's body was preserved so that he could live forever in the afterlife and become one with Osiris, the god of the underworld. The priests used many methods to prevent decay, which was something they did not fully understand at the time. They first removed the king's brain and organs, preserving them in special jars while leaving the heart and kidneys intact. This careful and detailed process indicated how serious they were about maintaining the integrity of the king’s body, which they believed was essential for his next journey.

Overall, the mummification process requires a lot of time and effort, taking a full 70 days to complete. The priests wrapped the king's body in many layers of fine linen and placed valuable items among the wrappings, highlighting their respect and devotion. The information we have about this process comes from texts found years later, showing that while ancient Egyptians may not have known everything about preservation, they had a strong belief in the afterlife and the proper care of the dead. Their practices were not only unique but also demonstrated their deep appreciation for their leaders and the cultural importance of life after death.