THE USE OF NATRON IN HUMAN MUMMIFICATION: A MODERN EXPERIMENT

Ever since Herodotus first described the Egyptian use of natron in human mummification, questions have been raised about the exact method of use. To our knowledge, no researcher in modern times has attempted to answer these questions by rep-licating an Egyptian mummification using natron and a human cadaver. On May 21, 1994 we began such a procedure and concluded it 35 days later on June 25, 1994. We were hoping to gain knowledge in three areas relevant to mummification: (1) Tools used by ancient Egyptian embalmers. Replicas of copper, bronze, and obsidian tools were fabricated and used in the pro-cedure. In addition, copies of ancient storage jars, canopic jars, mummification board, etc., were made and used throughout the experiment. Details of these findings will be discussed in a subsequent paper. (2) Removal of the brain and internal organs. The brain was removed via the nose and internal organs through an incision in the left abdomen. Details of this proce-dure will be presented in a separate paper. (3) The use of natron in human tissue preservation. This paper will deal with this aspect. LEGEND