Today, we read an article written by John Roach, on July 9th, 2001. He wrote it for the National Geographic News, and the article was about mummies, and how they served, and still do, as a way to keep us immortal. Below are some of the words that were unfamiliar to me:
Cadaver- Cadaver is a dead body, usually human; a corpse.
Mossy bogs- A bog is wet, spongy ground with soil composed mainly of decayed vegetable matter.
Portal- A portal is a a door, gate, or entrance, especially one of imposing appearance, as to a palace. A portal can also be referred to as a portal in time. etc.
Cryonics- Cryonics is when a body is frozen just after the death, so that the body won't decompose.
What is a mummy?
A mummy is an ancient cadaver, whose soft tissue has partially or wholly resisted decay. A mummy can be made by the environmental conditions of a certain place, or it can be man-made.
In what parts of the world have mummies been found in?
You can find mummies everywhere, in bogs, ice-cold mountain peaks, as well as hot deserts. The oldest known mummies were recovered in Chile, South America, and date back to around 7,000 years ago. Those mummies are called "Chincorro", and were mostly non-decayed bodies of children. It is believed that the parents mummified their children, to make their lives longer. Mummies have also been recovered in the Andean peaks, and some were even found in the Alps (Otzi, the iceman). Another set of mummies was found in northwestern China, they were so-called Xinjiang mummies. They were 4, 000 years old. And, finally, probably the most famous place for recovering mummies, is Egypt, where numerous important finds were made.
Just as I said above, the Egyptians believed in an afterlife. They thought that the better burial practice they performed, the person who died would have a better afterlife. Egyptians believed in immortality, or that your soul never dies, just moves on to the underworld. They put objects in the tomb so that the one who passed away would have gold, and other necessities in the underworld, and would live in the underworld in peace.
What features of the natural environment can cause bodies to be mummified unintentionally?
There are different environmental factors that cause the body to get mummified. Some bodies get frozen in cold areas, and the ice and cold stop them from decaying. In very warm areas, the body is completely dried up, and the sand protects it from decomposing. Bogs are a very natural preservers, and the mummies found in bogs can also have a preserved brain, which can be great help to historians and scientists.
According to current scientific beliefs, what are some reasons people were intentionally mummified?
There are different reasons why mummies were intentionally mummified. One of the theories is that mummies were mummified so that they could be immortal, or move on to the underworld, and have a peaceful afterlife. Another theory is that people were killed and then mummified as a sacrifice for the gods. Another theory is that when people broke a law, or committed a crime, they were executed, and then mummified.
List at least five questions that you would ask about a place to determine whether it might be a promising location to find human mummies. Your questions should related to climate, culture, religion and other factors that you think are important.
1. What is the climate of the area like, and does it have some distinct landforms, such as a desert, high mountains, bogs and swamps, etc?
2. What people lived at this area long ago, and what were their religious beliefs?
3. Is it common for mummies to be found in this area? If so, were the finds of mummies that were intentionally or unintentionally buried?
4. If there were any ancient civilizations in the area, how long ago did they settle there, and how long did they stay?
5. What were some of the traditions of the people living there?
Cadaver- Cadaver is a dead body, usually human; a corpse.
Mossy bogs- A bog is wet, spongy ground with soil composed mainly of decayed vegetable matter.
Portal- A portal is a a door, gate, or entrance, especially one of imposing appearance, as to a palace. A portal can also be referred to as a portal in time. etc.
Cryonics- Cryonics is when a body is frozen just after the death, so that the body won't decompose.
What is a mummy?
A mummy is an ancient cadaver, whose soft tissue has partially or wholly resisted decay. A mummy can be made by the environmental conditions of a certain place, or it can be man-made.
In what parts of the world have mummies been found in?
You can find mummies everywhere, in bogs, ice-cold mountain peaks, as well as hot deserts. The oldest known mummies were recovered in Chile, South America, and date back to around 7,000 years ago. Those mummies are called "Chincorro", and were mostly non-decayed bodies of children. It is believed that the parents mummified their children, to make their lives longer. Mummies have also been recovered in the Andean peaks, and some were even found in the Alps (Otzi, the iceman). Another set of mummies was found in northwestern China, they were so-called Xinjiang mummies. They were 4, 000 years old. And, finally, probably the most famous place for recovering mummies, is Egypt, where numerous important finds were made.
How did the the Ancient Egyptians preserve their dead?
Ancient Egyptians had a very distinctive process of mummification, and they thoroughly described it on many of their hieroglyphic writings and recordings. Firstly, the vital organs of the body were taken out and placed into special jars, that were put inside the tomb, around the mummy. Then, the mummy was wrapped in a very special linen, and then put into a sarcophagus. At the end, Egyptians put objects like boats, gold and weapons into the tomb, so that the mummy would have a peaceful afterlife. Of course, the richer you were the more objects were put into your tomb, and the better afterlife you would have.
Why do you think ancient Egyptians took such care to embalm their dead if the desert could do the job for them?Just as I said above, the Egyptians believed in an afterlife. They thought that the better burial practice they performed, the person who died would have a better afterlife. Egyptians believed in immortality, or that your soul never dies, just moves on to the underworld. They put objects in the tomb so that the one who passed away would have gold, and other necessities in the underworld, and would live in the underworld in peace.
What features of the natural environment can cause bodies to be mummified unintentionally?
There are different environmental factors that cause the body to get mummified. Some bodies get frozen in cold areas, and the ice and cold stop them from decaying. In very warm areas, the body is completely dried up, and the sand protects it from decomposing. Bogs are a very natural preservers, and the mummies found in bogs can also have a preserved brain, which can be great help to historians and scientists.
According to current scientific beliefs, what are some reasons people were intentionally mummified?
There are different reasons why mummies were intentionally mummified. One of the theories is that mummies were mummified so that they could be immortal, or move on to the underworld, and have a peaceful afterlife. Another theory is that people were killed and then mummified as a sacrifice for the gods. Another theory is that when people broke a law, or committed a crime, they were executed, and then mummified.
List at least five questions that you would ask about a place to determine whether it might be a promising location to find human mummies. Your questions should related to climate, culture, religion and other factors that you think are important.
1. What is the climate of the area like, and does it have some distinct landforms, such as a desert, high mountains, bogs and swamps, etc?
2. What people lived at this area long ago, and what were their religious beliefs?
3. Is it common for mummies to be found in this area? If so, were the finds of mummies that were intentionally or unintentionally buried?
4. If there were any ancient civilizations in the area, how long ago did they settle there, and how long did they stay?
5. What were some of the traditions of the people living there?
No comments:
Post a Comment