ClipArt ETC
"Mummy. Another striking religious custom was the embalming of the dead. It was thought that the soul would reanimate the body at the resurrection, and for this reason great care was taken to preserve the body from decay and provide it with a suitable resting place. Embalming was so skillfully and effectively done that decay was often prevented for thousands of years. The interior of the sepulcher was often decorated, and food and drink were placed beside the body. These houses of the dead were among the finest and the most enduring of Egyptian buildings."—Colby, 1899

mummy

"Mummy. Another striking religious custom was the embalming of the dead. It was thought that the soul…