- 5 — 
with myrrh, cinnamon, and other such like matters, which have not only a power to 
preserve it for a long time, but also give it a sweet smell; after which they deliver it 
to the kindred, in such manner that every member remains Avhole and entire, and no 
part of it changed, but tlie beauty and shape of the face seems just as it was before, 
and may be known, even the hairs of the eye-lids and eye-brows remaining as they 
were at first. By this means many of the Egyptians, keeping the dead bodies of their 
ancestors in magnificent houses, so perfectly see the true visage and countenance of 
those that died many ages before they themselves were born, that in viewing the pro- 
portions of every one of them, and the lineaments of their faces, they take as much 
delight as if they were still living among them. » 
The importance of these two classical accounts of the process of embalming must 
not be overrated. Herodotus died 406 B. C, and Diodorus Siculus 440 years afterwards. 
Their descriptions, therefore, though possibly true for their epoch, may not represent 
accurately the practice followed during the thousand preceding years or so, when em- 
balming was a common practice. 
The same criticism holds good for all the old descriptions. The only way to obtain 
information with regard to embalming processes therefore, is to dissect the mummies 
of various dynasties. Such an attempt was made by Pettigrew ' who gave a somewhat 
incomplete résumé of the literature and of the facts known at his time, and carefully 
described some of the mummies he had studied. 
More lately 2 papers on the subject have appeared : the first by Dr. Fouquet^ and 
the other by Prof. EUiot Smith : 
The two memoirs are based on the study of mummies of the Priests and Priest- Dr. Fouquet 
esses of Amon found at Deir-El-Bahari and dating from the XXIst dynasty (1000 B. C), 
J „ . n , • T p Elliot Smith. 
and as most or my specimens come from these same mummies, I must enter more fully 
into the work of these observers. 
Dr. Fouquet states that such a mummy, when unrolled is found to be enclosed 
in two layers of bitumen. The legs are extended, the arms brought alongside the body 
or slightly crossed at the pubis. The skin is everywhere smooth and clean, absolutely 
shaved, except for the hairs of the head, the eyebrows and the eyelashes. The mouth, 
the nostrils, the eyes and the ears are covered with a layer of virgin wax closely applied * 
and with resin of cedar under the wax. The closed mouth conceals the teeth, the lips 
are painted red, the eyebrows are painted also and the eyelids are often adorned with 
kohl. The face, hands, feet and sometimes even the whole body are painted. The body 
* A history of Egyptian mummies and an account of the woiship and embalming; of the sacred 
animals by Eptyptians: witli remaries on the funeral ceremonies of different nations and observations on the 
mummies of the Canary islands, of tlie ancient Peruvians, Burman Priests etc. London 1834. 
2 Note pour servir à l'histoire de l'embaumement en Egypte. Communication faite à l'Institut 
Egyptien dans la séance du 6 mars 189G. Le Caire, 1896. 
3 A contribution to the state of mummification in Egypt, with special reference to the measures adopted 
during the time of the 21st dynaslv for moulding the form of the l)odv. — Mémoires présentés à l'Institut 
Egyptien et publiés sous les auspices de S. A. Abbas II, Khédive d'Egypte. Cairo, 1906. 
