Cape Town - Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek), also known as Seti the first, is arguably the most well preserved mummy found in ancient Egypt.
According to the website Discover Magazine.com, the Egyptians believed that the mummified body housed one's soul or spirit. If the body was destroyed, the spirit could be lost and not make its entrance into the afterlife.
Seti the first was a pharaoh of the New Kingdom 19th Dynasty of Egypt, the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II.
Seti's tomb is described as the finest discovered in the Valley of the Kings, according to various reports.
Using special processes, the Egyptians remove all moisture from the body, leaving only a dried form that would not easily decay, writes the Smithsonian.
It was important in their religion to preserve the dead body in as life-like a manner as possible.
The mummification process took 70 days. Special priests worked as embalmers, treating and wrapping the body, writes the Smithsonian.
“Beyond knowing the correct rituals and prayers to be performed at various stages, the priests also needed a detailed knowledge of human anatomy. The first step in the process was the removal of all internal parts that might decay rapidly.”
According to the research institute, the brain was removed by carefully inserting special hooked instruments up through the nostrils in order to pull out bits of brain tissue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3muojXAa34
It was a delicate operation, one which could easily disfigure the face. The embalmers then removed the organs of the abdomen and chest through a cut usually made on the left side of the abdomen. They left only the heart in place, believing it to be the centre of a person's being and intelligence, according to the Smithsonian.
The other organs were preserved separately, with the stomach, liver, lungs, and intestines placed in special boxes or jars today called canopic jars. These were buried with the mummy, said the research website.
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