"First published in 1834, this work was an important early contribution to the emerging field of Egyptology in Britain. It united the twin passions of its author, the noted surgeon and antiquarian Thomas Joseph Pettigrew (1791-1865), who made a name for himself by unrolling and autopsying mummies: his London home was the scene of well-attended parties during which he would impress his guests with such displays. In the present work, Pettigrew delves into the history, technique and ritual of mummification in a depth that had never been attempted before, notably extending the coverage beyond ancient Egypt to other societies and eras. Describing the beliefs that informed these practices, the work also addresses the Egyptians' worship and embalming of animals such as bulls, dogs and hawks. Based on numerous examinations and years of study, this work stood as a landmark in the scientific and historical understanding of these funerary rites."--Back cover.

Excerpt from A History of Egyptian Mummies and an Account of the Worship and Embalming of the Sacred Animals by the Egyptians: With Remarks on the Funeral Ceremonies of Different Nations, and Observations on the Mummies of the Canary Islands, of the Ancient Peruvians, Burman Priests, &C Viscount Acheson, m.p. Thomas Amyot, Esq., Treasurer, sa. Jasper Atkinson, Esq. Benjamin Attwood, Esq. William Ayrton, Esq., e.s.a. Whitelaw Ainslie, M.D., James Anderton, Esq. Andrews, Esq. Le Comm' Comte di Aceto. F.g.s. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1834 edition. Excerpt: ... chapter V. on embalming. Embalming--definition--Ethiopian, Persian, and Scythian methods of preserving their dead--also of the Greeks and Romans--Egyptian method the most perfect--unknown at this day--accounts of by Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus--difficulty of assigning with precision the antiquity of a mummy--points to be attended to in this enquiry--Count de Caylus's opinion--the testimony of St. Athanasius and of St. Augustine--embalming of strangers--examination of the ancient accounts of this process--embalmers probably an inferior kind of priesthood--honours paid to the embalmers or swathers--three methods described by Herodotus--these admit of many subdivisions--price of embalming--First method: Extraction of the brain--insects found in the head of a GrtBco-Egyptian mummy--extraction not practised in all cases--Dr. Lee's mummy--head filled with bituminous matter and other substances--Dr. Perry's mummy--Dr. Mead's mummy--Mr. Davidson's mummy--ventral incision--the scribe--representations of this part of the process in papyri--the dissector--jethiopic stone--prayer uttered by the embalmers--recordof it by Porphyry--evisceration of the body--canopi or vases for the intestines--palm wine--aromatics--replacing of the viscera--discovery of the heart in the author's Graco-Egyptian mummy--restoration of different parts to a natural state--extraction of the viscera not always practised in the most expensive mode--use of spices--resinous matters--nalrum--period for which the body was to lie in a solution of this substance--removal of the cuticle--great care taken to preserve the nails--body anointed with oil of cedar, Sfc--probable application of heat--gilding of mummies--testimony of Abd'Allatif, Hertzog, Denon, Jomard, Rouyer, .

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