mummy
Sign in to save300px|thumb|A mummified man likely to be Ramesses I A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay further if kept in cool and dry conditions. Some authorities restrict the use of the term to bodies deliberately embalmed with chemicals, but the use of the word to cover accidentally desiccated bodies goes back to at least the early 17th century.
AI overview
A mummy is a preserved dead body—human or animal—whose soft tissues have survived through intentional chemical treatment or accidental exposure to extreme conditions like cold, dryness, or lack of air. Mummies matter because they provide rare direct evidence of how people and animals looked and lived in the past, offering insights that written records alone cannot supply.
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Article
59 sectionsContents
- Etymology and meaning
- History of mummy studies
- {{anchor|Anthropogenic|Spontaneous|Natural}}Types
- Egyptian mummies
- Mummification and rank
- "Most perfect" method
- Avoiding expense
- Inexpensive method
- Christian mummies
- Mummification in other cultures
- Africa
- Canary Islands
- Libya
- South Africa
- Asia
- China
- Iran
- Lebanon
- Korea
- Philippines
- Siberia
- Europe
- Bog bodies
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Hungary
- Italy
- North America
- Canada
- Greenland
- Mexico
- United States
- Oceania
- Australia
- New Guinea
- Torres Strait
- New Zealand
- South America
- Chauchilla Cemetery
- Chinchorro mummies
- Inca mummies
- Self-mummification
- Modern mummies
- Jeremy Bentham
- Vladimir Lenin
- Gottfried Knoche
- Summum
- Alan Billis
- Amélie of Leuchtenberg
- Plastination
- Treatment of ancient mummies in modern times
- In popular culture
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Books
- TV and video
- Further reading
- External links
300px|thumb|A mummified man likely to be Ramesses I A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay further if kept in cool and dry conditions. Some authorities restrict the use of the term to bodies deliberately embalmed with chemicals, but the use of the word to cover accidentally desiccated bodies goes back to at least the early 17th century.
Mummies of humans and animals have been found on every continent, both as a result of natural preservation through unusual conditions, and as cultural artifacts. Over one million animal mummies have been found in Egypt, many of which are cats. Many of the Egyptian animal mummies are sacred ibis, and radiocarbon dating suggests the Egyptian ibis mummies that have been analyzed were from a time frame that falls between approximately 450 and 250 BC.