You might think you know how the Egyptians made their mummies, but do you know the science behind it? In fact, anything can be mummified, and mummies have been discovered all over the world, not just in Egypt. What makes a mummy a mummy is that it has been desiccated, that is, all the water has been removed from it.

In Egypt, to remove the water, embalmers used a substance called natron, a natural salt found at the north end of the Nile in the Delta. Early on, the body was simply covered in it and then wrapped. However, as the Egyptians perfected their mummy-making skills, they began to use natron even more, not only soaking the body in it for 40 days(!), but also putting the natron on the inside of the body, too! Finally, after about 70 days of preparation, the body was wrapped.

Below are directions to mummify not a body, but an apple. Maybe not as exciting, but you'll see firsthand why the Egyptians became masters of this funerary art.



What You'll Need:
  • one apple

  • knife

  • two plastic cups

  • 1/3 measuring cup
  • mixing bowl

  • spoon

  • baking soda

  • salt


How You Do It:
  1. With the help of an adult, cut the apple in half, then slice each apple in half again.


  2. Put one quarter in one cup, and a second in another cup. Eat what's leftover, if you want!


  3. Now fill the measuring cup with baking soda. Pour that into the bowl.


  4. Next fill the measuring cup with salt, and pour that into the bowl. Mix them together with the spoon.


  5. Pour the mixture over one of your apples, making sure it's covered.


  6. Place both apples somewhere out of direct sunlight for one whole week (we know it's tough to wait!).


  7. After the week, take the apples out of the cups and look at them. You should see that the covered apple is much more wrinkly and lighter compared to the plain apple (the control). That's because you did exactly what the ancient Egyptians did with their bodies - you desiccated it. That means you sucked out all the water from the apple.


  8. If you want to see what we mean, put the shrunken apple in water. It should plump up a little as the water is absorbed.