natron salt used in mummification process

To the right are mummies found in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Province, China. The activity will take 5-7 days to complete. For this experiment, you will freeze dry and embalm apple slices at home and record your observations. Meanwhile, the people of ancient Egypt, as you know, used natron, a form of salt, to embalm and mummify their dead. At the crossroads of east and west and situated along the ancient Silk Road that connected China to countries around the Mediterranean, mummification in the Tarim Basin was achieved with a process that very much resembles modern day freeze-drying. In fact, mummification has been practiced by cultures on every continent.įor this activity, you will conduct a science experiment, comparing two different methods of mummification. While it’s easy to associate mummies with ancient Egypt, peoples around the world have mummified the dead as part of their burial practices. As early as 6000 BCE the Chinchorro indians living in what is now Chile and southern Peru practiced elaborate mummification techniques.

Natron salt used in mummification process