The ancient Egyptians believed preserving a person’s body ensured their safe passage into the afterlife. The process of Egyptian mummification was a secret for many centuries until ancient Greek historian Herodotus recorded some information about the process in the fifth century BCE. Archaeologists have recently refined their understanding of Egyptian mummification practices. In this activity, students conduct their own mummification experiment on chickens.
The teacher contextualizes the activity by showing students a video on mummies and asking them to read both Herodotus’s account of mummification and more recent articles about mummification that center on the research of Egyptologist Bob Brier.
Once students understand the basics of mummification, groups of five or six students can begin their science experiment, outlined below. The teacher should preface the experiment with safety guidelines for handling raw chicken.
Materials required for students:
Scale
One fresh chicken per group (bone-in chicken breast or leg may substitute)
Disposable plastic gloves (available at drugstores)
Carton of salt per group per week
Spice mixture (any strong powdered spices will do; powdered cloves, cinnamon, and ginger are good choices)
Extra-large (gallon size) air-tight freezer bags Roll of gauze per group (available at drugstore)
Disposable aluminum trays for holding chickens Cooking oil
Notebook for each group
Materials required for the teacher:
Video on mummies. A good option is: Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (2007), available on DVD.
Reading material on mummies, including Herodotus’s account. See: Http://discovermagazine. com/2007/oct/mummification-is-back-from-the-dead; Http://www. nationalgeographic. com/tv/mummy/; Http://www. mummytombs. com/egypt/herodotus. htm Plenty of paper towels and hand soap.
Procedure
1. All students put on plastic gloves.
Weigh each chicken (unnecessary if weight printed on packaging) and record the weight in a notebook. Record details of the chicken’s appearance in the notebook.
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Remove chicken organs and dispose of them. Rinse the chicken thoroughly in a sink.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Make sure the chicken is completely dry, or the mummification process might not work. Rub the spices all over the chicken, both inside and outside, then salt the entire chicken and fill the chicken cavity with salt.
Seal the chicken in the air-tight bag and place it in the aluminum tray. Remove gloves and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. Once a week, put on plastic gloves, remove the chicken from the bag, dispose of the bag and accumulated liquid, and weigh the chicken. Record the weight in a notebook and make notes on changes in the chicken’s appearance. Respice and resalt the chicken, fill the chicken cavity with salt, and seal it in a new bag. Remove gloves and wash hands. Repeat this step until no more liquid drains from the chicken. When liquid no longer drains from the chicken, the mummy is done! Wipe off all the salt and rub a light coat of cooking oil on the mummy. Wrap it tightly in gauze.
Optional extension: Students can decorate their mummies using hieroglyphics and build shoebox sarcophagi for them.
World History
