Mystery of the Mummy

Ancient Egyptian mummies have long sparked our imaginations, starring in countless horror films and novels. But what are they? How were they made? Why were they made? That's the mystery of the mummy.

The Egyptian mummification process is basically a means of preserving a dead body. Without preservation, a body will decompose, leaving only the bones. The Egyptian mummification process therefore prevents a body from decomposing, allowing the deceased to resemble what he looked like when he was still alive.

THE FINAL JUDGMENT

To the ancient Egyptians, a person is composed of 6 different parts: his body, ba (personality or character), ka (spirit of life), akh (immortal soul), as well as his name and his shadow. A person is not whole if he is missing any of these parts.

The ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife. They believed that when a person died, he continued living in another plane of life in the underworld. Since he is still considered to be "alive", all 6 parts of that person should be intact for him to live properly. Hence the need for preservation of the body, and the creation of the ancient Egyptian mummies.

An important belief in ancient Egypt, and the source of many Egyptian paintings, is the Final Judgment. It describes what happens after a person physically dies. The paintings show the recently deceased describing his deeds to a panel of judges. He is then led to the scales of balance by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummification and the afterlife. Here, his heart, which contains all the evil that he has committed, is weighed against the feather of Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice.

Thoth, the ibis-headed god of wisdom, records the outcome. If the heart is heavier, the deceased is judged too evil and undeserving of a place in the afterlife. The heart will then be devoured by Ammit, the god with the head of a crocodile and the body of a hippopotamus.

If the feather of Ma'at is heavier, the person is deemed worthy, and is taken by Horus, the falcon-headed god, to the afterlife and the underworld, ruled by Osiris.

THE MUMMIFICATION PROCESS

The details of the Egyptian mummification process has been lost to time. Most of what we know today about the mummification process comes from the writings of Herodotus, the Greek traveler. From what we know, creating the ancient Egyptian mummies is a complicated process. Herodotus' writings indicate that the entire process takes 70 days, from the time of death till the mummy is buried.

Firstly, the internal organs are removed. All organs are removed except for the heart, which the ancient Egyptians believed to be the center of a person's being.

To remove the organs from the abdominal cavity (such as the lungs, stomach, liver and intestines), a small cut is made in the left abdomen, and the organs removed from there. The organs are then cleansed and stored in 4 canopic jars, representing the Four Sons of Horus. These jars will be buried together with the mummy.

The brain is also removed. A hooked instrument is inserted into the skull via the nose. The hook is then used to pull out the brain in small pieces.

The next step in the Egyptian mummification process is to dry the body. If there is any water remaining in the body, bacteria will grow and cause the body to decompose. The drying agent is natron, a mixture of salts found along the Nile valley. By covering the body with natron for the majority of the 70 days, it will be completely dried.

After the natron is removed, the body is then wrapped using linen and resin. Hundreds of yards of linen are used, and usually covered with holy inscriptions. The finished mummy is then buried in his tomb together with his possessions.

Egyptologists have long wondered if this process as described by Herodotus could really create the ancient Egyptian mummies. In 1994, a team of scientists at the University of Maryland, USA, closely followed the Egyptian mummification process and successfully created a mummy that was free of bacteria and decay. Thus the mystery of the mummy is finally solved.

You can visit www.nekhebet.com for more information about mummies and other mysteries of ancient Egypt.

About the Author

Steven maintains the informational website Wonders of Ancient Egypt at http://www.nekhebet.com. Do visit if you want to find out more about the wonders of Egypt such as the Pyramids and the Lighthouse; or mysteries such as mummifcation and conspiracy theories; or its religion and history.

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Myrtle Beach Golf Packages - What to Know Before You Go

There is a lot of money in the Myrtle Beach golf package market. Unfortunately, like any other opportunity, this can bring out scam artists and bad business practices.

Don't get stuck with hidden charges on your golf packages. Myrtle Beach discount golf package resellers don't always have your best interest in mind. Here are five things to be aware of before booking your next golf package to Myrtle Beach.

The first two items come in the form of hidden fees. Myrtle Beach is getting a bad reputation among visiting golfers because of these hidden fees and surcharges. This was one of the biggest complaints noted in a recent local newspaper's article.

1) Cart Fees – The golf courses require them. Most golf packages leave them out. Hidden golf cart fees top the list of complaints for most golfers visiting the Grand Strand. Many Myrtle Beach golf package resellers keep the $20 or $30 dollars and pass along the fees to vacationing golfers. Ask up front whether or not cart fees are included. If not, demand it or do your business elsewhere.

2) Course Surcharges – Many golf packages allow golfers to “upgrade” to better courses. This fee is normal in the Myrtle Beach golf market. However, many golf packages up sell visitors on better golf courses. Then, after paying more, the vacationing golfer plays a course that is no better or sometimes worse than the original one. Do your homework before paying a surcharge to play a better golf course.

These next two problems often occur with Myrtle Beach golf package resellers that do not know the local market. Any website can put Myrtle Beach on their logo and sell packages from locations all over the world. Only deal with companies that have local market ties and local market knowledge.

3) Golf Tour – The Grand Strand golf area covers approximately 80 miles. Often these fulfillment centers sell Myrtle Beach golf packages that have you driving more than golfing. They don't care how long the trip is as long as they make an extra profit. Make sure to know the distances between your accommodations and your golf courses on your next golf vacation.

4) Course Conditions – Golf packagers with no local ties do not know what the course conditions are like in Myrtle Beach. These companies rely on dated information and have no idea about yearly maintenance schedules. Getting tee times at a lower rung course is bad enough. Don't compound the problem with horrible course conditions. What is the solution? Contact the Myrtle Beach golf courses yourself and ask them about their maintenance schedule and course conditions. Or, stick with a golf packager that has local market knowledge.

Do you need a golf package? This is definitely something to consider. Myrtle Beach has over 120 golf courses and they are not always sold out.

5) Buyers Market – During some times of the year there are more golf courses than golfers. This gives you an edge. It also gives you a reason to consider booking tee times separately. Summer and winter are slower than spring and fall. However, you can sometimes get a better deal booking tee times yourself even in the busy months. Do your research and investigate options instead of blindly buying golf packages.

Remember, golf deals always look great on paper. If your Myrtle Beach golf package is far below the cost of other deals, don't expect a great golfing experience. Investigate, read the fine print, deal with a company that has local knowledge and ask for customer testimonials. This is the best advice we can give you before you purchase a Myrtle Beach golf package.

Make sure to visit our Myrtle Beach golf section for more great tips and information before booking your next golf vacation. For complete golf package tips and advice visit our Myrtle Beach golf package page. You'll find both at http://www.PerfectGolfVacations.com

Copyright 2005 Evans Putman - All Rights Reserved. Reprints allowed see below.

About the Author

Evans Putman owns and operates http://www.PerfectGolfVacations.com your source for the best golf destination information. We deliver local market information and word-of-mouth recommendations from golf destinations like Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas, Ireland, Hilton Head, and more.

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My First

People whirl through revolving doors. Sirens whirl and blare in 5-minute intervals. Potted wildflowers divide the North and South lanes on Michigan Avenue. Children run splashing across a large outdoor work of art: Two 30 ft tall screens project ethnic faces, sporadically spitting out water onto the children that wait anxiously below them. This is Chicago.

Ernest Hemingway, the father of modern literature, was born here. So was the most notorious gangster of all time: Al Capone. Comedian Bill Murray is from Chicago. The city’s most identifiable citizen, one of the wealthiest and most influential women alive today, is Oprah Winfrey.
There is so much to do during the day that even the most decisive person feels dumbfounded. We spent our days walking around aimlessly, straining our necks to admire the world-renown architecture. I shared an elevator with some German tourists, and later found out that many people fly in from Germany to go on the $10 “Mies and Modernism” architectural tour, which traces the buildings of German-born architect Mies van der Rohe.

Chicago lacks a downtown "core" because every corner of the city thrives in its own way – each one different, yet just as fascinating as the next. The endless supply of 50-plus storey condominiums and eighty-story buildings is astonishing. But you don’t feel dwarfed by these towering edifices because of the expansive, meticulously kept sidewalks and pleasantly “green” streets. The windy city allows you to breathe, in the midst of an urban jungle.

Chicago’s appeal is broad because of its variety of attractions. The Shedd Aquarium is located 25 ft underground and boasts one of the most diverse collections of sharks in North America. The Art Institute is internationally known for its French impressionist collection, but also displays art from Renaissance Italy and Ancient China.

But art isn’t simply contained within the museum walls: Modern art pieces are scattered across the city’s several parks. Tourists flock to the entrance of the United Centre to see the world-famous sculpture of basketball legend Michael Jordan. The Uptown Jazz Club is a living museum of 1930’s Chicago. Oh, and jazz bars are everywhere.

Although jazz music and prominent players came to Chicago from the south in the 1920’s (the "Jazz Age") to enliven the city's nightclubs with their performances, the excitement still resonates. One of the most scenic bars is located on the 95th (yeah - 95th) floor of the John Hancock building, with floor-to-ceiling windows and an unbelievable view of the city.

From the top of the city, you can admire all of Chicago’s greenery, there are several major parks spread out across the city. Grant Park is known as Chicago’s front yard, because it’s situated right on the waterfront. Lincoln Park contains the world’s largest free zoo.

After walking the city on our first day, my boyfriend decisively declared: "Chicago does everything big!" He was right. Chicago has the largest aquarium, the largest public library, the largest candy factory, the largest food festival, the largest collection of impressionist paintings outside of Paris, the longest street, and of course, the tallest building in North America. The Sears Tower is 110 storeys, and 1353 feet tall.

But we didn’t see any of these things.

Because there’s so much to see and touch and hear and taste that unless you’re on a rigid schedule, it’s impossible to see everything. We shopped along Chicago’s "Magnificent Mile," a stretch of higher-end shops along Michigan Avenue. We started at one end of the street, where we got a bird’s eye view from the 94th floor observatory of the John Hancock building. After dinner, we rushed to the other end of the Mile, where we hopped onto a speedboat for nighttime, picture-perfect view of Chicago’s skyline from 500 metres offshore. And don’t listen to what the tourist guides say; the view is definitely better at night.

We watched fireworks flash and flicker from our 25th floor hotel room. We ate deep-dish pizza. We walked along the lakefront towards the world’s largest illuminated fountain, the Buckingham ("Married with Children" fountain). We rode on Navy Pier’s Ferris wheel, and gazed at the city lights that twinkled 150 feet beneath us.

"It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago – she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time." Mark Twain was right. I look forward to my next trip to Chicago.

About the Author

Student writer, professional daydreamer. Go to www.pumpkin-face.com for a complete list of articles.

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