Why did the ancient Egyptians make mummies? Some people think that the main reason is that the ancient Egyptians believed in "eternal life in the afterlife". It is speculated that Egyptians have been afraid of death since the Paleolithic Age. I believe that the afterlife can get rid of this fear more or less. Therefore, people at that time made careful preparations when burying the dead. In the Pharaoh's era, due to the widening gap between the rich and the poor and the increasingly strict hierarchy, people's longing for a better afterlife became more urgent, and then the worship of the dead was formed. They believe that if the body of the deceased is preserved in a recognizable form, the spirit of the human body, which is what we often call the "soul", will return to the body of the deceased; If the body is intact and does not rot, the soul and body will live in another world; When the corpse rots, the soul ceases to exist, and people really die; If a part of the body is damaged, the deceased will lose the same part of the body in the afterlife, so in order for the deceased to continue to live a better life in the afterlife, it is necessary to maintain the integrity of the body.

At the same time, the unique natural environment of ancient Egypt also contributed to the hope of the ancient Egyptians for the afterlife. The Nile regularly floods and recedes every year, and plants flourish or wither accordingly. The sun rises and sets every day. These natural phenomena gave the ancient Egyptians an idea that the world is cyclical, everything in nature can be reincarnated, and so should people. In order to prepare for the resurrection of the afterlife, we must keep our bodies well.

It is this belief in the afterlife that made the ancient Egyptians meticulous in the way of mummification and burial, and even racked their brains.

Of course, besides believing in immortality, people also make mummies for religious reasons.

Some of the best mummies were accidentally preserved without careful treatment. This naturally occurring mummy can usually be found in extremely dry deserts or cold areas, because the climate here can prevent the corpse from rotting. As we all know, decay is caused by bacteria. Bacteria breed in water, and 70% of the human body is made up of water, which means that the human body provides a place for bacteria to breed, so the human body is prone to decay. Hot desert areas can quickly dehydrate and maintain the body. As for cold regions, low temperature inhibits the growth and reproduction of bacteria. Of course, because of the low temperature, the evaporation rate of water in the body will also decrease, but because the growth and reproduction of bacteria are inhibited, time is won for dehydration of the body, and the preservation of the body will be no problem.

The earliest mummy that can be verified at present was formed around 3200 BC. There is no written record of this period. Little is known about these early mummies. It is speculated that at that time, due to the scarcity of arable land, all the dead people were buried in simple graves on both sides of the Nile Valley and on the edge of the desert. This simple tomb is just an oval shallow pit in the desert. People put the body in a pit with their heads facing south, their faces facing north and facing the sun, and then cover it with sand. Because the Egyptians buried the bodies in the sand only about 1 meter, after a period of time, the sand layer floated with the wind, and it was inevitable that some bodies would be exposed. These bodies are dried with hot sand, so they will not rot. The bodies, skin, hair and appearance of thousands of years ago can be preserved as before. This kind of mummy is called "sand mummy".

The ancient Egyptians believed that everyone's soul would exist in several ways, the most important of which was the form of "card" and "stick". "Card" in ancient Egypt means "strength, wealth, nutrition, prosperity, effectiveness, eternity, creativity and mysterious power". Ba in ancient Egypt means "the soul flying freely in the world of yin and yang" and is usually described as a bird with a head and hands. It has some spells that can make it return to the mummy. The statue of Ba is usually attached to the bottom of the mummy box. "Ba" carrying a hand seems to symbolize the rise of the mummy's soul. Two outstretched arms are symbols of words. If you want to make a person live forever, you must recombine the "card" and "ba" on the mummy in the grave. And once the two are reunited, the deceased can live forever. To this end, a series of complicated ceremonies should be held for the deceased, so that his various organs can play a role again, and the mummy can be resurrected and continue to live in the afterlife.

Where did the soul go after Pharaoh disappeared? Ancient pharaohs sincerely believed that these gods were their ancestors. God is highly intelligent. They came to earth from heaven. The pharaohs were sure that they would board the solar boat, go to heaven after death and meet their ancestors somewhere in the universe.

Scientific research shows that the shape of the pyramid makes it store a strange "energy", which can quickly dehydrate the body and accelerate "mummification". 1999, Dr. Hawass found two clay pots beside the coffin of Queen Beatty II pyramid in Montana. Some people think that these two pots are for the tomb owner to regenerate. Perhaps this is how ancient Egypt sought eternal life.