Mummifying a Chicken

I was a little worried about this project in the beginning because I thought it would smell up the house.  Although it does have a little odor, it's not unbearable.  You can smell it a little bit but only when you pull it out of  the baggies and scrap off the old stuff to add the new to place it back in it's bag for another week.  It's really easy and only takes less than 10 min per week after the first week. This was one of the most fascinating hands-on projects we have done yet.  I wanted to make sure that while she was learning about the Ancient Egyptians burial traditions she would retain the information as well.  

With this project your child will learn how to write step by step instructions after as well as learn how to mummify a chicken the way the Ancient Egyptians mummified people.   You can have the students record each week the progress.  When the project is done I would have your child write a summery about what they learned and what their favorite part of the project was.  

You will need the following:

• one store bought small chicken-raw (with liver and heart inside)
• several containers of table salt (Egyptians used natron instead of salt)
• several boxes of baking soda
• 1/3 cup of cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons of whatever kind of herbs you want to use.  We used cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice.
• box full of gallon size ziplock bags
• gauze or cheese cloth cut into squares or long strips
• beads
• alcohol 
•  jars if you want to do the liver and heart like they did (also optional)  We opted out of doing those.
• baking pan
• rubber gloves
• mask (surgeon or painters kind)
• paper towels 
• bowl
• small container of hardening solution (thinned out glue, lacquer, etc.)

Directions:  

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Day 1:

1. Step 1 – Unwrap and place the store-bought chicken on a baking sheet.
2. Step 2- Take out the innards of the chicken and set aside.
3. Step 3- Wash the chicken off with water then pat dry completely.    
4. Step 4- Pour alcohol all over the inside and the outside of the chicken and pat dry.  Make sure you get down inside the chicken really good because it contains a lot of moisture.
5. Step 5- Place on a baking sheet and fill the inside of the chicken with one box salt and one box baking soda.  (you will need enough to cover the whole chicken with) Once they are mixed put a good bit of the mixture inside the chicken where the innards were.
6. Step 6- Then heavily rub the mixture on the top of the chicken, flip and repeat on the other side.  
7. Step 7- Open the Ziploc bag (I used two for a double seal). and pour the remaining mixture at the bottom and place the chicken in the bag and shake it to make sure the chicken is fully coated with the mixture.  
8. Step 8 – Seal the bag and put it inside a second bag to make sure the air can't get inside the bag, then place the chicken in a bowl and sit on the counter. 

What do do with the innards?  We opted not to do them, but I did explain to her what the Egyptians did with them.  They would throw away the brains and other innards, but left the heart inside for Anubis (the Egyptian god of the afterlife and mummification) to find and weigh.  The heart was believed to be the seat of the soul.  They would remove, save, and mummify the intestines, stomach, lungs, and liver and put them in canopic jars for safekeeping.  All of which, it was believed, would be needed in the afterlife. 

 Day 2

1. Step 1- Take the chicken out of the bag of salt and place it in an area designated for the salty chicken.  I put ours in the sink and remove the loose salt mixture from the inside and outside of the chicken with your hand.  Then pat down with paper towels any excess moisture that may still be on the chicken.  Be sure to wipe down the inside really good as well because it is hard to get all the moisture out of that area.  
2. Step 2 – Discard used salt and bag.
3. Step 3- Place on a baking sheet and fill the inside of the chicken with one box salt and one box baking soda.  (you will need enough to cover the whole chicken with) Once they are mixed put a good bit of the mixture inside the chicken where the innards were.
4. Step 4- Place the chicken into a new ziplock bag and pour the mixture inside the the bag and shake really well to coat the chicken.  Make sure you get a lot of it inside the chicken.
5. Step 5- Use a second ziplock bag and place the first sealed chicken into the bag and seal it.  
6. Step 6- Set aside in a bowl for another week.

Week 1

 

Your mixture should be hard and and a little discolored by now.  (the salt is drawing out the moisture) 

1. Step 1- Take the chicken out of the bag of salt and place it in an area designated for the salty chicken.  Wipe all the old salt mixture off the outside of the chicken and clean out the inside as well.    
2. Step 2 – Discard used salt and bag.
3. Step 3- Place the chicken in a new ziplock bag and pour the mixture inside the the bag and shake really well to coat the chicken.  Make sure you get a lot of it inside the chicken.
4. Step 5- Use a second ziplock bag and place the first sealed chicken into the bag and seal it.  
5. Step 6- Set aside in a bowl on the counter for another week

Week 2

Repeat the same steps as you did in week 2 for another 5 weeks.  The chicken will be heavy and really hard at the end of week 7 

Weeks 3-7

 

  

  Once the mummy is complete you will move to the next phase of the burial process.  

1. Step 1- Clean all the salt mixture off the chicken
2. Step 2- Mix the cooking oil and spices together and run on the chicken
3. Step 3- Wrap the chicken with the cheese cloth or gauze and add jewels

 

 Here you are going to use your hardening mixture (glue, etc.) 

  

Dip the cheese cloth or gauze in the solution and wrap the chicken adding the beads (amulets) as you wrap.  Or you can wrap the gauze and brush on the solution.  Once you have completed it, then put it in a well ventilated area and allow to dry for several days.  (If you want them to paint it)

Now you have successfully mummified a chicken.  :)