Mummy
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[[Image:Mummy in Vatican.jpg|thumb|240px|An Egyptian mummy kept in the [[Vatican Museums]].]]
A '''mummy''' is a [[corpse]] whose [[skin]] and dried [[flesh]] have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to [[chemical]]s, extreme cold, very low [[humidity]], or lack of air when bodies are submerged in [[bog]]s.<!-- IF THE OLDEST MUMMIFIED HEAD IS INDEED CHULINA, IT SHOULD BE EASY TO DOCUMENT THIS IN A RELIABLE SOURCE. WHICH WWW.ARCHAEOMETRY.ORG/CHULINA IS NOT. FIND THE INFORMATION IN AN ARCHEOLOGY JOURNAL, MUSEUM WEBSITE OR OTHER APPROPRIATE SOURCE. OTHERWISE DO NOT RE-ADD THE INFORMATION TO THE PAGE, IT WILL BE REMOVED --> Mummies of humans and other animals have been found throughout the world, both as a result of natural preservation through unusual conditions, and as cultural artifacts to preserve the dead.
==Etymology==
{{Hiero|Mummy (''sˁḥ'')|<hiero>z:,:a-H</hiero>|align=right|era=egypt}}
The [[English language|English]] word ''mummy'' is derived from [[medieval]] [[Latin]] ''mumia'', a borrowing of the [[Persian language|Persian]] or [[Arabic language|Arabic]] word ''mūmiyyah'' (مومية), which means "[[bitumen]]". Because of the blackened [[skin]] of mummies, bitumen was once thought to be used extensively in ancient Egyptian [[embalming]] procedures.
==Deliberately embalmed mummies==
{{main|Embalming}}
The best known mummies are those that have been deliberately [[embalming|embalmed]] with the specific purpose of preservation, particularly those in [[ancient Egypt]], where not only humans but also [[crocodile]]s and [[cat]]s were mummified. Ancient Greek historians record that the [[Persia]]ns sometimes mummified their kings and nobility in wax, though this practice has never been documented in Egypt. The body of a [[Persian Princess]] which surfaced in 2004 in [[Pakistans]] mummy had a nature which turned out to have been forged. In [[China]], preserved corpses have been recovered from submerged [[Cupressaceae|cypress]] coffins packed with medicinal herbs. Although Egyptian mummies are the most famous, the oldest mummies recorded are the [[Chinchorro mummies]] from northern Chile and southern Peru. Also among the oldest is [[Uan Muhuggiag]] which is a place in the central Sahara, and the name of the mummy of a small boy found there in 1958 by Professor Fabrizio Mori. The mummy displays a highly sophisticated mummification technique, and at around 5,500 years old is older than any comparable Ancient Egyptian mummy. The [[monk]]s of [[Palermo]] in [[Sicily]] began mummifying their dead in 1599, and gradually other members of the community wished to have their bodies preserved as a status symbol. The last person to be mummified there died in the 1920s. The [[Capuchin catacombs of Palermo]] contain thousands of bodies, many which are clothed and standing, however in many cases the preservation was not successful with only the skeleton and clothing surviving.
===Ancient Egypt===
{{main|Egyptian burial rituals and protocol}}
[[Image:Mummy 501594 fh000031.jpg|thumb|350px|A mummy in the [[British Museum]].]]
Although mummification existed in other cultures, [[Immortality|eternal life]] was the main focus of all Ancient Egyptians, which meant preserving the body forever. Egyptian culture believed the body was home in the [[afterlife]] to a person's [[Egyptian soul|Ka and Ba]], without which it would be condemned to eternal wandering.
The earliest known Egyptian "mummified" individual dates back to approximately 3300 BC. This individual, nicknamed '[[Ginger (mummy)|Ginger]]' because of the color of his hair, is not internationally renowned despite being older than other famous mummies, such as [[Rameses II]] or [[Seti I]]. Currently on display in the [[British Museum]], Ginger was discovered buried in hot desert sand. Desert conditions can naturally preserve bodies so it is uncertain whether the mummification was intentional or not. However, since Ginger was buried with some pottery vessels it is likely that the mummification was a result of preservation techniques of those burying him. Stones might have been piled on top to prevent the corpse from being eaten by [[jackal]]s and other scavengers and the pottery might have held food and drink which was later believed to sustain the deceased during the journey to the other world. While there are no written records of religion from that time, the beliefs of those who buried Ginger could have resembled the later religion to some extent. {{Fact|date=October 2007}}
[[Image:Monkey mummy.jpg|thumb|left|A mummified monkey at the [[Egyptian Museum]] in Cairo]]
The earliest technique of deliberate mummification, as used ca. 3000 BC, was minimal and not yet mastered. The organs were eventually removed (with the exception of the heart) and stored in [[canopic jar]]s, allowing the body to be more well-preserved as it rested. Occasionally embalmers would break the bone behind the nose, and break the brain into small pieces in order that it could be pulled out through the nasal passage. The embalmers would then fill the skull with thick plant-based resin or plant resin sawdust.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}
It also wasn’t until the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] that embalmers used natural salts to remove moisture from the body. The salt-like substance [[natron]] dried out and preserved more flesh than bone. Once dried, mummies were ritualistically anointed with oils and perfumes. The [[Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt|21st Dynasty]] brought forth its most advanced skills in embalming and the mummification process reached its peak. The bodies' abdomens were opened and all organs, except for the heart, were removed and preserved in [[Canopic jars]]. The brain, thought to be useless, was pulled out through the nose with hooks, then discarded. It was also drained through the nose after being liquefied with the same hooks.
The emptied body was then covered in natron, to speed up the process of [[dehydration]] and prevent decomposition. Natron dries the body up faster than desert sand, preserving the body better. Often finger and toe protectors were placed over the mummies fingers and toes to prevent breakage. They were wrapped with strips of white linen that protected the body from being damaged. After that, they were wrapped in a sheet of canvas to further protect them. Many sacred charms and amulets were placed in and around the mummy and the wrappings. This was meant to protect the mummy from harm and to give good luck to the Ka of the mummy. Once preserved, the mummies were laid to rest in a [[sarcophagus]] inside a tomb, where it was believed that the mummy would rest eternally. In some cases the mummy's mouth would later be opened in a [[opening of the mouth ceremony|ritual designed to symbolize breathing]], giving rise to legends about revivified mummies.<ref>{{cite book |author=Aufderheide, Arthur C. |title=The scientific study of mummies |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |year=2003 |pages= |isbn=0-521-81826-5 |oclc= |doi=}}; p. 525.</ref>
==== Egyptian mummies as a commodity ====
*In the [[Middle Ages]], based on a mis-translation from [[Arabic language|Arabic]] it became common practice to grind mummies preserved in [[bitumen]] into a powder to be sold and used as medicine. When actual mummies became unavailable, the [[Desiccation|sun-desiccated]] corpses of criminals, slaves and [[Suicide|suicidal]] people were substituted by mendacious merchants.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/B/bodies/cases/case18.html | title = What was mummy medicine? | accessdate = 2008-02-08 | publisher = [[Channel 4]] }}</ref> The practice developed into a wide-scale business which flourished until the late 16th century. Two centuries ago, mummies were still believed to have medicinal properties against bleeding, and were sold as [[pharmaceutical]]s in powdered form as in [[Mellified Man]].<ref name=Daly1994>{{cite journal | author = Daly, N. | year = 1994 | title = That Obscure Object of Desire: Victorian Commodity Culture and Fictions of the Mummy | journal = NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction | volume = 28 | issue = 1 | pages = 24–51 | url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0029-5132(199423)28%3A1%3C24%3ATOOODV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-8 | accessdate = 2008-02-08 | doi = 10.2307/1345912 <!--Retrieved from CrossRef by DOI bot-->}}</ref>
*Artists also made use of Egyptian mummies; the brownish paint known as ''[[Caput mortuum]]'' (Latin for ''death's head'') was originally made from the wrappings of mummies. It was most popular in the 17th century but was discontinued in the early 19th century when its composition became generally known to artists.
*In the 19th century, European aristocrats would occasionally entertain themselves by purchasing mummies, having them unwrapped, and holding observation sessions.<ref name="Daly unwrapping">{{cite journal | author = Daly, N. | year = 1994 | title = That Obscure Object of Desire: Victorian Commodity Culture and Fictions of the Mummy | journal = NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction | volume = 28 | issue = 1 | pages = 24–51 | url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0029-5132(199423)28%3A1%3C24%3ATOOODV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-8 | accessdate = 2008-03-16 | doi = 10.2307/1345912 <!--Retrieved from CrossRef by DOI bot-->}}</ref> These sessions destroyed hundreds of mummies, because the exposure to the air caused them to disintegrate.
*An [[Urban legend|urban myth]] of mummies being used as [[fuel]] for [[steam locomotive|locomotives]] was popularized by [[Mark Twain]],<ref name="Straight">{{cite web | url = http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020222.html | publisher = [[The Straight Dope]] | title = Do Egyptians burn mummies as fuel? | date = 2002-02-22 | accessdate = 2008-03-16 }}</ref> but the truth of the story remains a debate.
*During the [[American Civil War]], mummy-wrapping linens were said to have been used to manufacture [[paper]].<ref name="Straight"/><ref name="Capital Weekly">{{ cite news | last = Pronovost | first = Michelle | url = http://www.mainecoastnow.com/articles/2005/03/17/capitalweekly/local_news/n6mummy.txt | accessdate = 2008-03-16 | date = 2005-03-17 | publisher = [[Capital Weekly]] | title = Necessity of paper was the 'mummy' of invention}}</ref> Evidence for the reality of these claims is still equivocal.<ref name="Baker">{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Nicholson |title=''Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper'' |year=2001 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn=0357504443 }}</ref><ref name="Dane">{{cite journal |last=Dane |first=Joseph A. |year=1995 |title=The Curse of the Mummy Paper |journal= Printing History |volume=17 |pages=18–25 }}</ref>
*Many thousands of mummified cats were sent from Egypt to England to be processed for use in [[fertilizer]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Wake, Jehanne |title=Kleinwort, Benson: the history of two families in banking |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford [Oxfordshire] |year=1997 |pages= |isbn=0-19-828299-0 |oclc= | url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Qm1fHrcgZuoC&pg=RA1-PA118&dq=mummified+cats+fertilizer&sig=VIGDoDlcYOq8Nb3gtcVNNi9poWY }}</ref>
==== Scientific study of Egyptian mummies ====
[[Image:Mummy at British Museum.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Mummy in the British Museum]]
Egyptian mummies became much sought-after by museums worldwide in the 19th and early 20th centuries and many exhibit mummies today. Notably fine examples are exhibited at the [[Egyptian Museum]] in [[Cairo]], at the [[Ägyptisches Museum]] in [[Berlin]], and at the [[British Museum]] in [[London]]. The Egyptian city of [[Luxor]] is also home to a specialized [[Mummification Museum]]. The mummified remains of what turned out to be [[Ramesses I]] ended up in a "Daredevil Museum" near [[Niagara Falls]] on the [[United States]]–[[Canada]] border; records indicate that it had been sold to a Canadian in 1860 and exhibited alongside displays such as a two-headed calf for nearly 140 years, until a museum in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], which had acquired the mummy along with other artifacts, determined it to be royal and returned it to Egypt's [[Supreme Council of Antiquities]]. It is currently on display in the [[Luxor Museum]].
More recently, [[science]] has also taken interest in mummies. Dr. [[Bob Brier]], an [[Egyptology|Egyptologist]], has been the first modern scientist attempted to recreate a mummy using the ancient Egyptian method. Mummies have been used in [[medicine]] to calibrate [[CAT scan]] machines at levels of [[ionizing radiation|radiation]] that would be too dangerous for use on living people. In fact, mummies can be studied without unwrapping them using [[CAT scan]] and [[X-ray]] machines to form a digital image of what's inside. They have been very useful to [[biology|biologists]] and [[anthropology|anthropologists]], as they have provided a wealth of information about the health and [[life expectancy]] of ancient people.
Scientists interested in [[cloning]] the [[DNA]] of mummies have recently reported findings of clonable DNA in an Egyptian mummy dating to circa 400 BC.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Pääbo S |title=Molecular cloning of Ancient Egyptian mummy DNA |journal=Nature |volume=314 |issue=6012 |pages=644–5 |year=1985 |pmid=3990798| doi = 10.1038/314644a0 <!--Retrieved from CrossRef by DOI bot-->}}</ref> Although analysis of the hair of [[Ancient Egyptian]] mummies from the Late [[Middle Kingdom]] has revealed evidence of a stable diet,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Macko SA, Engel MH, Andrusevich V, Lubec G, O'Connell TC, Hedges RE |title=Documenting the diet in ancient human populations through stable isotope analysis of hair |journal=Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci. |volume=354 |issue=1379 |pages=65–75; discussion 75–6 |year=1999 |pmid=10091248 |doi=10.1098/rstb.1999.0360}}</ref> [[Ancient Egyptian]] mummies from circa 3200 BC show signs of severe [[anemia|anaemia]] and [[Hematology|hemolytic disorders]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Marin A, Cerutti N, Massa ER |title=Use of the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) in the study of HbS in predynastic Egyptian remains |journal=Boll. Soc. Ital. Biol. Sper. |volume=75 |issue=5-6 |pages=27–30 |year=1999 |pmid=11148985 |doi=}}</ref>
==Natural mummies==
[[Image:Seahorse Skeleton Macro 8 - edit.jpg|thumb|200px||A naturally mummified [[seahorse]]]]
Mummies that are formed as a result of naturally-occurring environmental conditions, such as extreme coldness ([[Ötzi the Iceman]], [[Pazyryk|the Ice Maiden]]), acid ([[Tollund Man]]), [[salinity]] ([[Salt Man]]), or desiccating dryness ([[Tarim mummies]]), have been found all over the world. More than a thousand [[Iron Age]] corpses, so called [[bog body|bog bodies]], have been found in [[bog]]s in northern Europe, such as the [[Yde Girl]] and the [[Lindow Man]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bog/iron-nf.html | title = Bog bodies of the Iron Age | source = [[NOVA (TV series)|NOVA]] | accessdate = 2007-10-25 | format = html | language = english | date = 2006-01-01}}</ref> Natural mummification of other animal species also occurs; this is most common in species from shallow [[saline water]] environments, especially those with a body structure which is particularly favourable to this process, such as [[seahorse]]s and [[starfish]]. Old mummies such as the dinosaurs Leonardo and Dakota in America were very valuable discoveries.
===Europe===
====Italy====
{{main|Ötzi the Iceman}}
Natural mummification is fairly rare, requiring specific conditions to occur, but it has produced some of the oldest known mummies. The most famous ancient mummy is [[Ötzi the Iceman]], frozen in a [[glacier]] in the [[Ötztal Alps]] around 3300 BC and found in 1991.
====Bog bodies====
{{main|Bog bodies}}
The [[United Kingdom]], the [[Republic of Ireland]], [[Germany]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Sweden]] and [[Denmark]] have all produced a number of [[bog bodies]], mummies of people deposited in [[bog|sphagnum bogs]], apparently as a result of murder or ritual sacrifices. In such cases, the acidity of the water, cold temperature and lack of oxygen combined to tan the body's skin and soft tissues. The skeleton typically disintegrates over time. Such mummies are remarkably well-preserved on emerging from the bog, with skin and internal organs intact; it is even possible to determine the contents of last meal was by examining the [[stomach]]. A famous case is that of the [[Haraldskær Woman]], who was discovered by labourers in a bog in [[Jutland]] in 1835. She was erroneously identified as an early medieval Danish queen, and for that reason was placed in a royal [[sarcophagus]] at the [[Saint Nicolai Church]], [[Vejle]], where she currently remains.
===In South America===
[[Image:Peruvian mummy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Peruvian mummy at the [[Carmo Convent (Lisbon)]].]]
{{main|Chinchorro mummies}}
Some of the best-preserved mummies date from the [[Inca]] period in [[Peru]] and [[Chile]] some 500 years ago, where children were ritually sacrificed and placed on the summits of mountains in the [[Andes]]. Also found in this area are the [[Chinchorro mummies]], which are among the oldest mummified bodies ever found. The cold, dry climate had the effect of desiccating the corpses and preserving them intact. In 1995, the frozen body of a 12- to 14-year-old [[Inca Empire|Inca]] girl who had died some time between 1440 and 1450 was discovered on Mount Ampato in southern [[Peru]]. Known as "[[Mummy Juanita]]" ("Momia Juanita" in Spanish) or "The Ice Maiden", some archaeologists believe that she was a [[human sacrifice]] to the [[Inca mythology|Inca mountain god]] Apus.
===In Russia===
In the summer of 1993, a team of Russian archaeologists led by Dr. [[Natalia Polosmak]] discovered the [[Pazyryk#The "Ice Maiden"|Siberian Ice Maiden]] in a sacred area known as the ''Pastures of Heaven'', on the [[Pontic-Caspian steppe]] in the [[Altay Mountains]] near the [[Mongolia]]n border. Mummified, then frozen by unusual climatic conditions in the fifth century B.C. along with six decorated horses and a symbolic meal for her last journey, she is believed to have been a [[Shamanism|shaman]] of the lost [[Pazyryk]] culture. Her body was covered with vivid blue tattoos of mythical animal figures. The best preserved tattoos were images of a [[donkey]], a [[argali|mountain ram]], two highly stylized [[deer]] with long antlers and an imaginary [[carnivore]] on the right arm. A man found with her (nicknamed "Conan") was also discovered, with tattoos of two monsters resembling [[griffin]]s decorating his chest and three partially obliterated images which seem to represent two deer and a mountain goat on his left arm. The Ice Maiden has been a source of controversy, as alleged improper care after her removal from the ice resulted in rapid decay of the body; and since the breakup of the [[Soviet Union]], the [[Altai Republic]] has demanded the return of various "stolen" artifacts, including the Ice Maiden, who is currently stored in [[Novosibirsk]] in [[Siberia]].<ref>{{cite web | title = The Siberian Ice Maiden | url = http://www.explorenorth.com/library/weekly/more/bl-icemaiden.htm|publisher=ExploreNorth | accessdate = 2007-03-17 }}</ref><ref> {{cite journal | last = Polosmak | first = Natalya | title = A Mummy Unearthed from the Pastures of Heaven | journal =[[National Geographic Magazine]] | pages=80–103| year = 1994}}</ref>
===In North America===
In 1972, eight remarkably preserved mummies were discovered at an abandoned [[Inuit]] settlement called [[Qilakitsoq]], in Greenland. The "Greenland Mummies" consisted of a six-month old [[baby]], a four year old boy, and six women of various ages, who died around 500 years ago. Their bodies were naturally mummified by the sub-zero temperatures and dry winds in the cave in which they were found.<ref>{{cite web | last = Deem | first = James M. | title = World Mummies: Greenland Mummies | url = http://www.mummytombs.com/mummylocator/group/greenland.htm | publisher = Mummy Tombs | date = last updated [[2007-03-15]] | accessdate = 2007-03-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Hart Hansen | first = Jens Peder | coauthors = Jørgen Meldgaard; Jørgen Nordqvist (eds.) | title = The Greenland Mummies | location = London | publisher=British Museum Publications | date = 1991 | isbn = 0714125008}}</ref> The oldest preserved mummy in North America is Kwäday Dän Ts’ínchi ("Long ago person found" in the [[Southern Tutchone]] language of the [[Champagne and Aishihik First Nations]]), found in August 1999 by three First Nations hunters at the edge of a glacier in [[Tatshenshini-Alsek Park]]. It was determined that he had died about 550 years ago and that his preserved remains were the oldest ever discovered in North America.<ref>{{cite web | last = Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, British Columbia | title = Kwaday Dan Ts'inchi | url = http://www.tsa.gov.bc.ca/archaeology/kwaday/ | accessdate = 2007-03-08}} {{wayback|http://www.tsa.gov.bc.ca/archaeology/kwaday/|2007-10-25}}; {{cite web | last = Lundberg | first = Murray | title = Kwaday Dän Sinchi, The Yukon Iceman | url = http://www.explorenorth.com/library/weekly/aa082599.htm | publisher = ExploreNorth | date = 2001-07-24 | accessdate=2007-10-25 | language = english | format = html }}</ref> {{Citecheck|date=December 2007}}
==Self-mummification==
{{main|Sokushinbutsu}}
The Siberian [[Buryats|Buryat]] lama [[Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov]] (1852–1927) aroused considerable interest in recent years, as his body was retrieved in a perfect state of mummification in 2002. Monks whose bodies remain [[incorruptibility|incorrupt]] without any traces of deliberate mummification are venerated by some Buddhists who believe they successfully were able to mortify their flesh to death. "Buddhists say that only the most advanced masters can fall into some particular condition before death and purify themselves so that his dead body could not decay."<ref>[http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/378/15173_immortality.html Mortals and saints can remain physically immortal after death - Pravda.Ru<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Many Mahayana Buddhist monks were reported to knew the time of death and left their last testaments and their students accordingly buried them sitting in lotus posture, put into a vessel with full of such as coal, wood, paper or lime and surrounded by bricks, and be exhumed after usually 3 years. The preserved bodies would be painted with paints and sticked with gold. Many were destroyed in China during the [[Cultural Revolution]], some preserved, and some recent ones were reported.
[[Victor H. Mair]] claims that hundreds of mummified bodies of Tibetan monks were destroyed in China during the [[Cultural Revolution]] or were cremated by the Lamaists in order to prevent their desecration. Also according to Mair, the self-mummification of a Tibetan monk, who died ca. 1475 and whose body was retrieved relatively incorrupt in the 1990s, was achieved by the sophisticated practices of meditation, coupled with prolonged starvation and slow self-suffocation using a special belt that connected the neck with his knees in a [[lotus position]].
Bodies purported to be those of self-mummified monks are exhibited in several [[Japan]]ese shrines, and it has been claimed that the monks, prior to their death, stuck to a sparse diet made up of salt, nuts, seeds, roots, pine bark, and ''[[urushi]]'' tea.<ref>[http://www.sonic.net/~anomaly/japan/dbuddha.htm The Buddhist Mummies of Japan<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Some of them were buried alive in a pine-wood box full of salt.
In the 1830s, [[Jeremy Bentham]], the founder of [[utilitarianism]], left instructions to be followed upon his death which led to the creation of a sort of modern-day mummy. He asked that his body be displayed to illustrate how the "horror at dissection originates in ignorance"; once so displayed and lectured about, he asked that his body parts be preserved, including his skeleton (minus his skull, for which he had other plans), which were to be dressed in the clothes he usually wore and "seated in a Chair usually occupied by me when living in the attitude in which I am sitting when engaged in thought." His body, outfitted with a wax head created because of problems preparing it as Bentham requested, is on open display in the [[University College London]].
During the early 20th century the Russian movement of [[Cosmism (Russian)|Cosmism]], as represented by [[Nikolaj Fedorov]], envisioned scientific resurrection of dead people. The idea was so popular that, after [[Lenin]]'s death, [[Leonid Krasin]] and [[Alexander Bogdanov]] suggested to [[Cryonics|cryonically preserve]] his body and brain in order to revive him in the future.<ref>See the article: А.М. и А.А. Панченко «Осьмое чудо света», in the book Панченко А.М. О русской истории и культуре. St. Petersburg: Azbuka, 2003. Page 433.</ref> Necessary equipment was purchased abroad, but for a variety of reasons the plan was not realized.<ref>Ibidem.</ref> Instead his body was [[Embalming|embalmed]] and placed on permanent exhibition in the [[Lenin's Mausoleum|Lenin Mausoleum]] in Moscow, where it is displayed to this day. The mausoleum itself was modeled by [[Aleksey Shchusev]] on the [[Pyramid of Djoser]] and the [[Tomb of Cyrus]].
In the state of [[Guanajuato]], [[Mexico]], mummies were discovered in a cemetery of a city named [[Guanajuato, Guanajuato|Guanajuato]] northwest of [[Mexico City]] (near León). They are accidental modern mummies and were literally "dug up" between the years 1896 and 1958 when a local law required relatives of the deceased to pay a kind of grave tax. The Guanajuato mummies are on display in the ''Museo de las momias,'' high on a hill overlooking the city. Another notable example of natural mummification in modern times is [[Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz]] (1651-1702), whose body is on exhibit in his native [[Kampehl]].
In 1994 265 mummified bodies were found in the crypt of a Dominican church in [[Vác]], [[Hungary]] from the 1729-1838 period. The discovery proved to be scientifically important, and by 2006 an exhibition was established in the Museum of Natural History in [[Budapest]].<ref>[http://www.nhmus.hu/tarak/embertar/gyujtemenyek/ujkorimumgyujt.html Újkori múmiák gyűjteménye<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In March 2006, the body of the [[Greek Orthodox]] [[Monk]] [[Vissarion Korkoliacos]] was found [[incorrupt|intact in his tomb]], after fifteen years in grave. The event has led to a dispute between those who believe the preservation to be a [[miracle]] and those who claimed the possibility of natural mummification.
====Summum====
[[Image:Cat Mummification by Summum.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A cat being mummified by [[Summum]]]]
In 1975, an [[esoteric]] organization by the name of [[Summum]] introduced "Modern Mummification", a form of mummification that Summum claims uses modern techniques along with aspects of ancient methods. The service is available for [[spirituality|spiritual]] reasons. Summum considers animals and people to have an [[essence]] that continues following the death of the body, and their mummification process is meant to preserve the body as a means to aid the essence as it transitions to a new destination. Summum calls this "transference," and the concept seems to correlate with ancient Egyptian reasons for mummification.
Rather than using a dehydration process that is typical of ancient mummies, Summum uses a chemical process that is supposed to maintain the body's natural look. The process includes leaving the body submerged in a tank of preservation fluid for several months. Summum claims its process preserves the body so well that the DNA will remain intact far into the future, leaving open the possibility for [[cloning]] should science perfect the technique on humans.
According to news stories,<ref name="MummyMakers">
{{cite web
|last = Laytner
|first = Ron
|authorlink =
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|date =
|year = 2007
|month =
|url = http://www.editinternational.com/index.php?pag=stories.php?cat=3f5121f82466f&sub=41e6d1f696796
|title = The Mummy Makers
|format =
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|pages =
|publisher = Edit International
|accessdate = 2007-09-16
|accessyear =
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</ref> Summum has mummified numerous pets such as birds, cats, and dogs. People were mummified early on when Summum developed its process and many have made personal, "pre-need" arrangements. Summum has been included in television programs by [[National Geographic]] and the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]], and is also discussed in the book ''The Scientific Study of Mummies'' by Arthur C. Aufderheide.<ref name="NGPetWrap"> {{Cite video| people = Chan, Wah Ho (Cinematographer)| year = 1996| title = Pet Wraps | medium = TV| location = USA| publisher = National Geographic Television}}</ref><ref name="BBCFaceofTutankhamun">{{Cite video| people = Frayling, Christopher (Writer/Narrator/Presenter)| year = 1992| title = [http://amazon.imdb.com/title/tt0262957/ The Face of Tutankhamun] | medium = TV-Series| location = England/USA| publisher = British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)}}</ref>
<ref name="AufderheideSummum">{{cite book | last = Aufderheide | first = Arthur C. | year = 2003 | title = The Scientific Study of Mummies | publisher = Cambridge University Press | pages = p. 60, p. 411 | location = Cambridge | id = ISBN 0-521-81826-5}}</ref>
====Plastination====
{{main|Plastination}}
[[Plastination]] is a technique used in [[anatomy]] to conserve bodies or body parts. The [[water]] and [[fat]] are replaced by certain plastics, yielding specimens that can be touched, do not smell or decay, and even retain most microscopic properties of the original sample.
The technique was invented by [[Gunther von Hagens]] when working at the anatomical institute of the [[University of Heidelberg]] in 1978. Von Hagens has patented the technique in several countries and is heavily involved in its promotion, especially with his travelling exhibition [[Body Worlds]]{{Fact|date=December 2007}}, exhibiting plastinated human bodies internationally. He also founded and directs the Institute for Plastination in [[Heidelberg]].
==Mummies in fiction==
[[Image:Ghost1.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Lon Chaney, Jr.]] as [[Kharis]] in the film ''[[The Mummy's Ghost]]'' (1944)]]
Mummies are commonly featured in [[Romance (genre)|romance]] genres as an [[undead]] creature. During the 20th century, [[horror film]]s and other mass media popularized the notion of a [[curse]] associated with mummies. Films representing such a belief include the 1932 film ''[[The Mummy (1932 movie)|The Mummy]]'' starring [[Boris Karloff]] as [[Imhotep]]; four subsequent 1940's [[Universal Studios]] mummy films which featured a mummy named [[Kharis]], who also was the title mummy in [[The Mummy (1959 movie)|a 1959 Hammer remake of ''The Mummy's Hand'' and ''The Mummy's Tomb'']]; and [[The Mummy (1999 movie)|a remake of the original film]] that was released in 1999. The belief in cursed mummies probably stems in part from the supposed curse on the tomb of [[Tutankhamun]]. [[ABC]]'s 1979 TV holiday film aired '''[[The Halloween That Almost Wasn't]]''' where a mummy from Egypt ('''Robert Fitch''') arrived into Count Dracula's castle without speaking.
[[Image:StoogeMummy.jpg|thumb|left|300px|In 1939, The Three Stooges spoofed the discovery of King Tutankhamun with their short film ''[[We Want Our Mummy]]''.]] The 1922 discovery of [[Tutankhamun]]'s tomb by archaeologist [[Howard Carter (archaeologist)|Howard Carter]] brought mummies into the mainstream. [[Slapstick]] comedy trio the [[Three Stooges]] humoursly exploited the discovery in the short film ''[[We Want Our Mummy]]'', in which they explored the [[tomb]] of the [[midget]] King Rutentuten (and his Queen, Hotsy Totsy). A decade later, they were crooked used [[chariot]] salesmen in ''[[Mummy's Dummies]]'', in which they ultimately assist a different King Rootentootin ([[Vernon Dent]]) with a toothache.
Fictional mummies have also been prominently featured in comics and animation, such as [[Hakushin]] in the [[anime]] series ''[[InuYasha]]'', Anal Ho Tep from Eric Millikin's ''[[Fetus-X]]'', [[N'Kantu, the Living Mummy]] from [[Marvel Comics]], and [[Mumm-Ra]] from the animated TV series ''[[ThunderCats]]''. A humorous cartoon mummy was also used as the mascot for [[General Mills]]' monster-themed breakfast cereal [[Yummy Mummy]].
==See also==
*[[Embalming]]
*[[Incorruptibility]]
*[[List of mummies]]
*[[List of DNA tested mummies]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Sources==
===Books===
<div class="references-small">
* {{cite book
|last = Aufderheide
|first = Arthur C.
|authorlink =
|coauthors =
|year = 2003
|title = The Scientific Study of Mummies
|publisher = Cambridge University Press
|location = Cambridge
|id = ISBN 0-521-81826-5
}}
*Barber, Elizabeth Wayland. 1999. ''The Mummies of Ürümchi''. 1999. London. Pan Books. Also: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-04521-8.
*[[E. A. Wallis Budge|Budge, E.A.Wallis]]. 1925. ''The Mummy, A Handbook of Egyptian Funerary Archaeology.'' Dover Publ. Inc., New York, Dover Ed. 1989, (512 pgs.) ISBN 0-486-25928-5.
*Davis-Kimball, Jeannine, with Behan, Mona. 2002. Warrior Women: An Archaeologist’s Search for History’s Hidden Heroines. Warner Books, New York. First Trade Printing, 2003. ISBN 0-446-67983-6.
*Ilkerson, Bill. 2006. ''Wrap-It-Up: How My Lost Child Will Survive Us All''. Portland. Eye of Raw Texts. ISBN 0-43-956827-7.
*Mallory, J. P. and Mair, Victor H. 2000. ''The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West''. Thames & Hudson. London. 2000. ISBN 0-500-05101-1.
*Pringle, Heather. 2001. ''Mummy Congress: Science, Obsession, and the Everlasting Dead''. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-028669-1.
*Taylor, John H. 2004. ''Mummy: the inside story''. The British Museum Press. ISBN 0-7141-1962-8.</div>
===Online===
<div class="references-small">
*{{cite news
|url = http://www.editinternational.com/index.php?pag=stories.php?cat=3f5121f82466f
|title = The Mummy Makers
|publisher = Edit International
|date = 2003-2004
|accessdate = 2006-05-29
}}
*[http://science.howstuffworks.com/mummy.htm Mummies] at [[Howstuffworks.com]].
*[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010126.html ''The Straight Dope'' on claims that Egyptian mummies show evidence of cocaine use]
*[http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/Entomology/courses/en570/papers_2000/wells.html University of Colorado paper discussing the discovery of cocaine and other new-world drugs in Egyptian mummies]
*[http://www.geocities.com/dimitrovs75/mummy.htm About the Unknown Mummy E]
* {{cite web
|last =
|first =
|authorlink =
|coauthors =
|date =
|year =
|month =
|url = http://www.summum.us/mummification/
|title = Summum - Modern Mummification
|format = HTML
|work =
|pages =
|publisher = Summum
|language =
|accessdate = 2006-05-29
|accessyear =
|curly =
}}
*[http://www.voxel-man.de/gallery/virtual_mummy/ The Virtual Mummy: Unwrapping a Mummy by Mouse Click]
</div>
===Video===
<div class="references-small">
* {{Cite video
|people = Chan, Wah Ho (Cinematographer)
|year = 1996
|title = Pet Wraps
|medium = TV
|location = USA
|publisher = National Geographic Television
}}
* {{Cite video
|people = Frayling, Christopher (Writer/Narrator/Presenter)
|year = 1992
|title = [http://amazon.imdb.com/title/tt0262957/ The Face of Tutankhamun]
|medium = TV-Series
|location = England/USA
|publisher = British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
}}</div>
==External links==
{{Commons|Mummies}}
* http://www.mummytombs.com
* [http://brian.finucane.googlepages.com/mummies Naturally Preserved Peruvian Mummies]
* [http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-08/25/content_368631.htm World's Best Preserved Mummies in China]
* [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/info/marmoy.htm The "Auto-Icon of Jeremy Bentham], from a [[University College London]] website
* [http://www.akhet.co.uk/cat.htm Cat Mummies]
* [http://www.akhet.co.uk/clikmumm.htm Clickable Mummy]
* [http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmnh/mummies.htm Mummies] from the [[Smithsonian Institution]].
* [http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/rameses/rameses.html Rameses: Wrath of God or Man?] at [[Discovery Channel]]
* [http://www.summum.org/mummification/pets/animalgallery.shtml Summum - Animal Mummy Gallery]
* [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0430_030430_royalmummy.html U.S. Museum to Return Ramses I Mummy to Egypt], an article from the ''[[National Geographic]]'' website
* [http://dogsinthenews.com/stories/060913a.php "King Mutt's Tomb"], 2006-09-13 article about dog mummy found in Peru
* [http://cognitivelabs.com/mummy1big.htm Roman Period Fayyum mummies: A picture test] from [http://cognitivelabs.com Cognitive Labs]
*''[http://www.sarahbakewell.com/Other%20Writing.html#Cookingwithmummy Cooking With Mummy]'', by [[Sarah Bakewell]], ''[[Fortean Times]]'' 124, July 1999. Article on the medicinal uses of mummy.
* [http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Y3MnV6g2c The Art of Michaël Magerat: Animal Mummies]
{{Ancient Egypt topics}}
[[Category:Arabic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Archaeology of death]]
[[Category:Egyptian artefact types]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian funerary practices]]
[[Category:Mummies|*]]
[[Category:Corporeal undead]]
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