During this waiting period, somebody had to stand guard, as the body's strong odor attracted desert scavengers. The embalmers left the body in the powder for 35 to 40 days to allow enough time for the body to dry completely. Unlike the hot sand that dried the earliest Egyptian mummies, the salty natron absorbed moisture without severely darkening and hardening the skin. The Egyptians collected this powder, a mixture of sodium compounds, from the shores of Egyptian lakes in the desert west of the Nile Delta. As the Egyptian concept of the afterlife evolved, they began to use more and more elaborate coffins and tombs to protect and honor the dead.Īfter the embalmers removed the organs and re-stuffed the body, they laid the body down on a sloped board and covered it completely with natron powder.
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