How Did Ancient Egyptians Invent Mummification?

Every mummy you've ever seen in a museum is the result of a 3,000-year argument with decay — one the ancient Egyptians didn't even start on purpose. With no refrigeration, no antiseptic, and no idea what a bacterium was, they turned a chance discovery in the sand into the most advanced preservation technology of the ancient world. This is how they actually did it, from the accident that started it all to the salt, the organs, the price tag, and the discovery that rewrote when this all began. Sources referenced in this video: Herodotus, Histories, Book II ("Euterpe"), c. 450 BCE — eyewitness account of embalming methods and the three service tiers British Museum — "Gebelein Man" ("Ginger"), naturally preserved predynastic burial, c. 3400 BCE Jones, J., Higham, T.F.G., Oldfield, R., O'Connor, T.P., & Buckley, S.A. (2014). "Evidence for Prehistoric Origins of Egyptian Mummification in Late Neolithic Burials." PLOS ONE Brier, B. (1994) — experimental mummification of a human cadaver using Herodotus's described method, Long Island University Excavation records, Step Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara, Third Dynasty, c. 2670 BCE Ikram, S. & Dodson, A., The Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity — general reference on canopic jars, the Four Sons of Horus, and embalming ritual