Unwrap the Mystery of Mummies

Take a trip in time and unwrap the mystery of mummies! See how the mummification process actually takes place. The Ancient Egyptians get most of the credit for mummification, but discover the first people to actually practice the process. You will uncover the facts of mummies and the reasoning behind mummification. Scientists are uncovering mummies all over the world.

The Tasks:

This WebQuest is designed for students studying social studies and history. You will learn:

what defines a mummy,
how the process of mummification takes place,
who were the first people to practice mummification,
who made the mummification process famous,
other methods of mummification and,
where mummies are being uncovered in present times.

RESOURCES:

1. What are Mummies: When you think of a mummy what comes to mind? Most of us usually picture an Egyptian mummy wrapped in bandages and buried deep inside a pyramid. While the Egyptian ones are the most famous, mummies have been found in many places throughout the world.
2. How Mummies Were Made: The process of making mummies is more complicated than you might think. It is not just wrapping rags around a dead body. There is actually careful planning and specific steps that must be followed.
3. The Chinchorros may well have been the first people in the world to practice mummification. They preserved their dead beginning about 5000 B.C. and reached a peak in 3000 B.C.
4. Egyptian Mummies: Egyptians probably began to mummify the dead intentionally. It was important in their religion to preserve the dead body in as life-like a manner as possible. They were so successful that today we can view the mummified body of an Egyptian and have a good idea of what that person looked like when he or she was alive 3000 years ago.
5. Incan Mummies: There are methods to preserve the dead other than the traditional wrapping that the Egyptians used. The Incans used a method that is very unique. Can you figure out why they are known as the Ice Mummies.
6. Mummified! Mummies have been discovered all over the world. Each mummies appearance is distinct according to the special techniques used by each culture. Do you know why some bodies survive hundreds of years without rotting? Are you ready for a Mummies Quiz?

The Process:

1. What are Mummies is an excellent site for you to discover the myths and facts that people have about mummies. Visit discovery.com and hear an introduction to the mysterious world of mummies.
2. Go to How Mummies Were Made to see in graphic detail how the Egyptians made their mummies. There are step by step details of the mummification process. Visit FoxNews.com and click on "Make A Mummy" to see a demonstration of this process IF YOU DARE!
3. Visit the Chinchorro Mummies and see who were the first people in the world to practice mummification. They preserved their dead beginning about 5000 B.C., reaching a peak in 3000 B.C.
4. Visit Egyptian Mummies to learn why Egyptians began to mummify the dead intentionally. Take the Egyptian Challenge to see how much you learned while visiting this site. Pay special attention to the four questions on mummies. Tally up your total points and see how well you did.
5. See another method of preserving the dead by visiting the Incan Mummies. The Incan people preserved their mummies in a way that is not the traditional wrapping method used by the Egyptians. This site will show you how the Incans got their name of the Ice mummies. Meet the Ice Man by clicking on Mummytombs.com and see how to make your own Ice Mummy.
6. Click on Mummified and match the head of each mummy with the culture it belongs to. See if you can make it past the quiz master by taking The Mummies Quiz. Be sure to check out the map and click on the skulls to see where recent mummies have been discovered. If you didn't do very well on the quiz, that's O.K., maybe you can enjoy a few laughs by visiting Uncle Otis's Mummy Jokes or help the mummy rebuild pyramids at Bonus.com (click on "New Fun" and "New Games" and play "Maze of Rah").
7. Come and try my Quia quiz and enjoy the world of mummies!

Learning Advice:

You have been on a journey through time to uncover the mystery of mummies. You have learned that mummies not only existed in Egypt but they are being uncovered everywhere. Below is a list of materials that might help you in your study of mummies:

    >    A notebook to list things like definitions, processes of mummification of each culture,
          the different types of mummies and where they are located.
    >    Picture printouts of each type of mummy.
    >    Worksheets that re-emphasize the process and the reasoning behind mummification.

Conclusion:

GREAT! You have successfully journeyed back in time to see how the Egyptians made the mummification process popular. You found out that the Chinchorro mummies actually date back before the Egyptians. You have learned that the original goal was to preserve the dead by wrapping them in cloths. We also discovered that mummies discovered today in many parts of the world, date back thousands of years.

This page was originally written by Eric Quinn and Modified for EDU 506-02 @ FHU School of Education by Dr. Bruce Lewis last updated on March 24, 2001. Click here to view my powerpoint presentation on mummies.