Fernandez |1

Oscar Eduardo Fernandez Vidaña

Livingston Research

04/19/22

TUTANKHAMEN AND THE MUMMIFICATION

Mummification is the process of preserving the body after death by deliberately drying or
embalming flesh. The oldest record of the mummification practice was found in 1917, by a
German archeologist at Chinchorro Beach, in what is now Peru and Chile. While these specimens
were found around two millennia before the first known Egyptian mummies, it is in the latter that
this process reached its greatest elaboration. (Garlinghouse)

One of the most documented examples of this practice belongs to the mummification of
Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Ruler of Egypt from 1333-1323 BC, the son of Akhenaton died at the age of
18. The tomb containing his mummified body was found was uncovered in 1922. The governors
petrified body reposed inside the third coffin, which was nested within the other two outer coffins.
The material used for the coffin was beaten gold, and it was inlaid with precious stones such as
lapis lazuli, turquoise and carnelian. The same material was used to elaborate the death mask
covering the young king’s face. The tomb and mask convey the Egyptian culture’s power, pride and
affluence. (Kleiner)

Tutankhamen’s tomb was an offering, and the items found inside helped honor his
memory, if mummification was still practiced in today’s world, what items would be placed inside
our current world leaders? This question would have different answers depending on the country.
The author of this essay resides in Mexico, and has done so all his life. Its prior presidents’ tombs
would be filled to the brim with offerings from the deceased’s so-called friends. There is a saying in
Spanish that goes: “Every dead person is a good person”. This means that, once a person passes
away, everyone refers to them as the best person that ever lived, even if their actions when alive
do not convey that. There would be a photo of their family in the former president’s coffin, and its
mummification process would be televised, and would be watched by a great amount of people.

Taking into account the corrupt and dirty story most presidents of this country have had,
the fact that mummification is no longer practiced is a relief for this writer.
 Fernandez |2

Works Cited
Garlinghouse, Tom. LIVESCIENCE. 15 July 2020. Website. 19 April 2022.

Kleiner, Fred S. GARDNER’S ART THROUGH THE AGES: A CONCISE GLOBAL HISTORY. Wadsworth:
CENGAGE LEARNING, 2006. Book.