Year 5 visited The British Museum this term as part of work on Pharaohs. They attended a Egyptian Mummification Interactive workshop, where they got to learn how the process of natural mummification which occurred in the ancient Egyptian desert 5,000 years ago. Then the development and process of artificial mummification in ancient Egypt. The children got to find out about what happens when something is dehydrated and how this process can help preserve something.
They learnt how sophisticatedly the main organs were removed and the Pharaoh’s bodies then dried with salt to preserve the body for their afterlife.
They also learnt that through modern technology sarcophaguses of some of the famous Pharaohs at The British Museum’s collection could be keep intact and did not need to be unwrapped or destroyed to investigate and learn about the Mummies inside, by using special X-ray machines, CAT scanning and 3D printing, and how this has helped scientists understand more about ancient Egypt.
Finally, the children were directed to the Egyptian Mummies galleries, where they could see and relate to some of the collections from their workshop, these included coffins, mummies, funerary masks, portraits and other items designed to be buried with the deceased.
