Chicken Mummification

One of the most alluring aspects of the ancient Egyptian society that Casia and I have been studying is the mummification process. It played such an integral part in their religion and culture and is so fascinating, I kept wishing I could work the topic in through more than just some books and videos. Then I stumbled upon the term 'chicken mummification' while online. Intrigued by the thought of making a science project out of mummification, I googled 'chicken mummification' and found literally pages of sites with recipes and how-to's. By this point in her study of Egypt, Casia had watched four engrossing videos that included the history and process of mummification, early archeological digs, and scientific examinations including x-rays, CAT scans and DNA testing of various mummies. She has also read many of the books we pulled from the library on the subject. I've listed the movies and my three favorite books at the bottom of this post.

Now while Jacob thinks I'm a bit nutty to be doing this, Casia couldn't be more excited. So we purchased the smallest roasting chicken I could find (unfortunately it was over 6lbs - I would highly recommend a smaller one!) At first I was going to insist that Casia do all the work, but when she couldn't maneuver the giant bird in the sink on her own, I settled for her removing all the insides and spraying it clean. I then pulled it out, patted it dry and plopped it on the counter. Casia spent about ten minutes examining it. I told her to use all her senses but taste! It turns out hearing wasn't so useful either. We then discussed what a hypothesis is and I asked her to form one about the mummification process. Casia replied that she knows that the salt pulls water out of the body to dry it out and turn it into a mummy. So I asked her what kind of question she could ask about the process and how she could go about testing it. She thought about it and decided that if the salt is pulling the water out of the chicken, we should be able to weigh the chicken and see that it's getting lighter. So she decided that in addition to touching, smelling, and looking at the chicken, she wanted to weigh it as well. So I grabbed the bathroom scales and we plopped the big bird on it.   

After Casia completed her examination of our subject, I placed it in a gallon sized zip-lock bag. I held the chicken upright while she poured an entire 26 oz. can of salt into the center cavity. She then sprinkled some cinnamon and baking soda on the outside of the chicken. I'd heard it could help with the smell and she felt it brought more authenticity to the process since the priests used spices during mummification in ancient Egypt. Casia then opened another salt container and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the bag around the outside of the poultry. Unfortunately, it was at this point that I realized that the chicken was in fact too big for the bag.  So with some difficulty, I pulled it out and used a small grocery bag instead. I knotted the bag at the top after pushing out as much air as possible and then repeated with an additional grocery bag.  Then I placed it inside a bucket with a tight sealing lid.  And there he sits. Waiting.  

Casia preparing the chicken for mummification.

Close-up of the chicken covered in cinnamon, baking soda and a LOT of salt.  This was after I discovered it was too big for the bag.

Casia has since named him Nkuku, which is Egyptian for rooster. And yes, I did explain that roasting chickens are really hens, but she's decided HE will be Pharoah Nkuku and when the mummification process is complete, she plans on wrapping him in linen and adorning his sarcophagus with all the finery due a royal chicken. I'm not sure, but I think she plans to bury him in the backyard.  

To go along with the science experiment, I assigned Casia the task of of doing a write up. This was a new concept for her but I think she did a great job! She was told to include a hypothesis, procedure and measurements and observations. This is what she came up with:

We have about a week left in wait time and then we'll haul ol' Nkuku out of the garage and see how he's doing.  At that time, we'll clean out all the salt, re-examine him and then repack him in salt for a couple more weeks.  I'll report back on our progress!

Movies on Mummies:

• A Nova production, "The Mummy Who Would Be King"
• National Geographic, "King Tut's Final Secret"
• Time-Life Video. "Egypt: Quest for Immortality"
• Discovery Channel, "Nefertiti Resurrected"

Books that I would recommend on the subject:

• DK Eyewitness Books, Mummy (This has great photographs, very brief coverage of variety of mummy topics including bog mummies, the Iceman, animal mummies and mummies from around the world.)

• Mummies Made in Egypt, by Aliki (This book gives a very brief but detailed description of the mummification process with a lot of illustrations; great for younger kids- very accessible.)

• Mummies, Tombs and Treasure: Secrets of Ancient Egypt by Lila Perl (This book is written in a narrative form so it flows more easily than the DK book.  It has a lot of general information about Egyptian history, cultural, mythology and of course, mummies.)