What Is Soap Mummy?

The Process of Mummification The earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the

The body will now be covered and stuffed with natron to dry it out. All of the rags and fluids that were used in the process are buried with the body. After forty more days, the body is then washed again and covered in oils to keep the skin elastic. The organs that are dehydrated are wrapped in linen then returned to

During this stage, which occurs 20 to 50 days after death, all the remaining flesh is removed, after this period and the body dries out. It has a cheesy smell, caused by butyric acid, and this smell attracts a new suite of corpse organisms. The surface of the body that is in contact with the ground becomes covered with mold as the body ferments (What Happens to the Body after Death 1). The body is flat and looks dried out. It eventually can leak through any soft tissues as decomposition progresses. Larval blowflies, flesh flies and houseflies, all called maggots, are abundant in this stage due to the semiliquid environment (Stages of the Human Decomposition Process 1). There is no definite event, such as bloating or purging, that separates stage three from the later, drier stages of decomposition (Stages of the Human Decomposition Process

Funerary customs are practises and beliefs that the Ancient Egyptians used to respect their dead, and preserve their bodies in preparation for the afterlife which was a universe that mirrored their life on Earth, where they would live with the Gods in eternal Egypt. The body of the deceased could be mummified, which was where a body is dried, packed with minerals and wrapped in linen cloths, whereas another form would be embalming which is the use of salts and spices to preserve a body and took 70 days in total. However, there were many tests and dangers on the way to the afterlife, including fire-filled lakes, poisonous snakes and executioners. Because of this, there were many ceremonies and tests to see if the deceased person was worthy of the Afterlife. Such as the opening of the mouth ceremony which was when a priest touched parts of the deceased body at a funeral in order for the

“Cave burial was one of the most common ways to put a body to rest. Placement of the bodies were in lava tubes, rock shelters, or hitches that contained several bodies inside. Burying the deceased in sand dunes or in earth was another common but preferred method. Majority of the sand dunes in Hawaii have some kind of history with burial” (Kirch 240). Apart from buried in the earth, surface burials they had also conducted included cremation, which was performed by burning the corpse over a fire until the bones had charred into ash. “When referring to sea burials, bodies of fishermen would be wrapped in red cloth, then put in the ocean to be eaten by sharks. It was believed that the essence of the fisherman would inhabit the shark’s body” (Redmond 4).

The mummification process is done in two phases, the first being embalming and the latter being wrapping and burial. There was a special place for embalming to take place known as the ibu. The ibu was called the place of purification. The first thing the embalmers do is to clean his body with aromatic palm wine and rinse it with Nile water. The next step involves removing all but a select few of the internal organs. The process used to remove the internal organs changed over time and varied with the wealth of the body in question. The heart was left in the body because of its necessity as the focal point of mental and emotional stability. The body’s fluids and rags used in this phase are left with the body for its burial. The body is left for a period of

A bog body is classified as a human corpse that over a long course of time has been naturally mummified in a peat bog. A peat bog is a swamp that collects peat, which is dead plant material, often moss. In the peat bog when a body is mummified they are often known as bog people. These bodies are crucial to our understanding of the past for what they reveal.

A dead body that has been exposed to the elements such as water, air, temperature and weather, will decompose quicly and will attract much more insect activity. Colder temperatures slow decomposition, while warmer temperatures rather speed up the process of decomposition. If a body is available to insects, than the insects alone can reduce a fully fleshed body to skeletal bones withing a two week time period. Key factors to consider are: temperature, availability of oxygen, cause of death, trauma, humidity or wetness, rainfall, body size and weight, clothing, the surface where the body was resting, and the foods/objects inside the digestive tract of the

Caylee’s remains were described as skeletal fragments, which means her body had reached the dry decay stage, but has not remained exposed to the elements long enough for the bones to deteriorate. The location where the child’s remains were found may have altered the deterioration process because of moisture levels and bacteria (enkivillage). The more bacteria in the area, the quicker the body will

The fatty acids are then purified by distillation and neutralized with an alkali to produce soap and water. The fats and oils used in soap-making come from animal or plant sources. The four basic soaps used in this procedure were made using olive oil, vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, and lard. Each fat or oil is made up of a distinctive mixture of several different triglycerides. In a triglyceride molecule, three fatty acid molecules are attached to one molecule of glycerin. There are many types of triglycerides; each type consists of its own particular combination of fatty acids. They are weak acids composed of two parts: A carboxylic acid group consisting of one hydrogen (H) atom, two oxygen (O) atoms, and one carbon (C) atom, plus a hydrocarbon chain attached to the carboxylic acid group. Generally, it is made up of a long straight chain of carbon (C) atoms each carrying two hydrogen (H) atoms. The carboxylate end of the soap molecule is attracted to water. It is called the hydrophilic end; this end of the fatty acid chain prefers water. The hydrocarbon chain is attracted to oil and grease and is the hydrophobic end. However, when soap is presented to hard water which is water containing minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and seldom minerals like iron. Soap produces what is known as soap scum, or residue from the

The physical appearance preservation of the bog bodies is normally in prime condition. Because of this condition it means that scientists and archaeologists are able to study the features of the body and conclude things like the development of physical evolution from the ancient body to bodies of modern society. They can also obtain information on the cause of death of the body by seeing things like, for example, the Tollund man, who had a rope around his neck that concluded he had been hung to death. And by concluding causes of death, it can also be seen if the body was of sacrificial or a ritual demonstrating what burial practices were in place.

On December 11, 2008 skeletal remains of a young child were found by an utility worker. By the time the worker had discovered the remains it had went through 5 stages of decomposition. The 1st stage starts when the person dies (Csanyi). The 1st stage consists of enzymes in dead body cells start breaking down tissues which is known as autolysis. While this is going on bacteria in the digestive track start to eat the intestines. The 1st stage is called the fresh stage which can last for 1-2 days, unless of course the body is in a hot and humid area (Csanyi). Also at this stage chemical released start to attract flies. The 2nd stage that the body went through is called the putrefaction or the bloated stage (Csanyi). As the internal bacteria form the intestines start to enter the rest of the body, it causes the body to fill with gasses and as this happens the body begins to swell. The smell that comes from this stage is what attracts egg laying insects most of which are blow flies (Csanyi).

First used as a way to dispose of livestock; during alkaline hydrolysis lye and water are combined to break down the body into liquid and small pieces of bone. Also called digestion this concept is beginning to be used for humans as well. Although some see alkaline hydrolysis method as strange, it is the most effective version of cadaver disposal; therefore alkaline hydrolysis method should replace the more common burial methods.

wax that it was to start with. Even though the description of this wax has changed we still know as an a priori

When burying a dead body into the ground there are several processes of decomposition going on that leave out foul odor deep into the ground that can cause diseases spread and completely contaminate the whole area depending on the scope that the cemeteries cover. The effects of these