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The process of mummification (or embalming) was practiced by the ancient Egyptians. It changed over time: in the period of the Old Kingdom it was available only to kings while during the New Kingdom (ca. 1539-1070 B.C.) it was accessible to everyone. Mummies were made by embalming, the process that varied according to the social status of the deceased. The basic steps of the procedure were the following:

1. The body was washed and ritually purified.

2. As the organs were the first parts of the body to decompose but extremely necessary in the afterlife, they were mummified and put in canopic jars which were later placed in the tomb at the time of burial. The heart was believed to be the seat of intelligence and emotion and was left in the body. The brain, on the other hand, was regarded as having no significant value and was removed through the nose with the help of long hooks and thrown away. To remove the deceased person’s inner organs a slit was cut into its left side that the embalmers could remove the intestines, the liver, the stomach and the lungs. The corpse’s cavity and each of the internal organs was embalmed using natron, which served to dry out the organs.

3. The organs were then individually wrapped using long strips of linen and placed in canopic jars. The lids of these jars were fashioned after the four sons of Horus, who were each supposed to protect a particular organ.

4. The drying process took forty days. By this time all the body’s liquid had been absorbed and only the hair, skin, and bones were left.

5. After another cleaning, mummies were ritualistically anointed with oils and perfumes to aid in preserving the mummy's skin. The head and body cavity were stuffed with packing.

6. The body was then tightly wrapped in many layers of linen with numerous amulets, placed between the layers. The most important amulet was the scarab beetle, which was placed over the heart. Jewelry was also placed among the bandages. At each stage of wrapping, a priest recited spells and prayers. This whole procedure could take as long as fifteen days. The entire mummification process took about seventy days.

7. The entire mummy was wrapped to a depth of about twenty layers. The embalmers used resin to glue the layers of wrappings together. The wrapped head was covered with a mummy mask.

8. The last layer of bandages went on and was given one last coating of resin.

Egyptians stopped making mummies in the 5th century A.D., when many of them became Christians. But it is estimated that, over a 3000 year period, more than 70 million mummies were made in Egypt.