User:MacGyverMagic/In Progress/Mummy
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A mummy is a preserved corpse which due to shielding from decomposition by either natural or artificial means, has retained their physical form. This can be achieved by exposing the body to extreme draught or cold, lack of oxygen or by use of chemicals.
Please do not edit this page, it is an outdated version of a rewrite I've done. Please refer to the real article at mummy if you want to edit. Note: The anonymous edit which moved the pic, is me -- Mgm|(talk) 10:50, Mar 24, 2005 (UTC)
- This article is about ancient corpses. For the colloquial term, see mother.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Tutanchamun_Maske.jpg/320px-Tutanchamun_Maske.jpg)
The best-known mummies are those that have been embalmed with the specific purpose of preservation, particularly those in ancient Egypt. Egyptians believed the body was home to a person's Ka which was essential in one's afterlife.
In China, preserved corpses have been recovered from submerged cedar coffins packed with medicinal herbs.
Mummies formed as a result of naturally occuring environmental conditions, such as extreme cold (Ötzi the Iceman), acid (Tollund Man) or desiccating dryness have been found all over the world.