How did Egyptian embalmers get the brain out of the body?
The ancient Egyptian embalmers most likely did not use hook-like instruments to pull out the brains when preparing bodies for the afterlife. According to Stephen Buckley, an expert in mummification, experiments have shown that they used a far more effective method. Buckley, an archaeologist and analytical chemist at the University of York, conducted experiments on sheep to test ways of removing the brain.
Buckley found that pulling out the brain piece by piece was not an easy task. He said that pulling out the brain using a hook was not particularly effective. The brain of the deceased could be removed slowly by a metal hook with repeated poking. However, the removal process would be less complicated when turning the brain into a liquid. If left with a hook for 20 minutes, the brain would turn into liquid and could be poured out.
Sometimes, the ancient Egyptians left the brain intact, especially with the mummies of rulers in the early period. They left the brain in place instead of removing it. The embalmers would leave the brain to dry inside the skull. For example, the mummies of Pharaoh Thutmose I, Queen Tiye, the wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, and Pharaoh Amenhotep I were all found with the brain tissue intact.
The ancient Egyptians did not know about bacteria, but they clearly knew that removing internal organs from the body had a profound effect in slowing down the decay process. If possible, they always removed the intestines, lungs, and many other internal organs from the bodies of the deceased, then processed and preserved them separately. In some cases, they were placed in jars or returned to the mummy.
Hits: 1
