Today, we had an amazing reading session, very different to our normal lessons!
Ancient Egyptians were famous for mummifying their kings. This method of preserving bodies was so successful that mummies remain preserved 3,000 years later. We were not able to mummify a Pharaoh at school, but we still created our own mummy, using a tomato. We followed these steps, and created the same processes that Ancient Egyptians used all those years ago.
We used the following items:
• A couple of fresh tomatoes.
• Salt.
• Bicarbonate of soda.
• An airtight tub or jar.
• A knife.
• A spoon.
• Antiseptic hand wash or hand gel.
• Kitchen roll.
Method:
1. The Egyptians started by removing the insides from their dead. We did the same. We cut the tomato in half and scooped out the seeds and juice. We used a small cup to store the tomato’s “organs”!
2. One of the most important steps to a successful mummy is removing all bacteria. The Egyptians used embalming fluid for this – but we used hand wash, covering our tomato.
3. Back in ancient times, the Egyptians used a naturally occurring mixture called natron to dry out the king. Natron draws moisture into it, which meant the body dried a lot quicker. We made our own natron by mixing salt and bicarbonate of soda.
4. Finally, we placed the tomato inside our airtight bag and placed it in our ‘pyramid’ (large cup).