7 The Tomb Builders
The Egyptians believed that when they died,their souls stayed near by their bodies. So when a person died,they put in the tomb with him all sorts of things that he had used in daily life—things to eat and drink,furniture and dishes,toys and games.They thought the soul would return to its own body at the day of judgment.They wanted their bodies to be kept from decaying until judgment day,in
order that the soul might then have a body to return to. So they pickled the bodies of the dead by soaking them in a mineral called natron and wrapping them round and round and round with a cloth like a bandage.A dead body pickled in this way is called a mummy,and after thousands of years the mummies of the Egyptians may still be seen.Most of them are not,however,in the tombs where they were at first placed.They have been moved away and put in museums,and we may see them there now.Although they are yellow and dried up,they still look like