The ancient Egyptians believed in several rituals in order to reach the after life, into the next world and achieve immortality.

Death was seen as a temporary state and a dead person's spirit needed a body.

So to preserve it, a process of mummification was used.

This process and quality of the mummification varied, depending on a person's status and wealth.

The highest ranks in society got the best method of preservation after they died.

Firstly, the body was washed in water and salt.

The brain was then removed and discarded using a hook through the nostrils.

The body was then slit open and the organs were removed except for the heart,

which the ancient Egyptians believed would guide the person into the after life.

The liver, lungs, intestine, and stomach were kept and placed in four canopic jars.

One for each organ, these jars each featured a lid sculpted as one of the sons of Horus.

Hapi, who protected the lungs.

Duamutef, the stomach.

Imsety, the liver.

And Qebehsenuef, the intestines.

The body was then filled with Myrrh, Cassia and other spices.

Then sewn up together and packed with a special salt, called Natron for up to seventy days,

which prevented the flesh from rotting.

After this process, the body was shriveled and dehydrated.

So the embalmers would stuff the empty body with sawdust and linen to bring it back to it's original shape,

oil the skin to soften it and add false eyes and a wig to make the corpse more life like.

A resin was used to cover the body to prevent mold and then the whole corpse was wrapped in layers linen bandages.

A face mask was made to look like the person, then was placed on the head of the corpse

and the body was placed into a wooden case or if the person were rich, a stone sarcophagus.

Mummies would be buried with items they might have needed for the after life, including, jewelry, clothes, furniture.

Even pet cats and dogs who were mummified as well to keep them company.

The less expensive method, for the middle classes, or those who wish to avoid the expense,

involved the corpse being injected with oil, taken from Cedar trees, liquefying the internal organs.

It was then packed with Natron for up to seventy days and given back to the family.

The Egyptian embalmers were so skilled that even today,

people that were mummified thousands of years ago, still have some recognizable features.

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