In some ways, a lot of the ancient, mysterious burial customs of old Egypt bear some similarity to modern burial customs.

Carlis White, a professor of history at Slippery Rock University, said ancient Egyptians developed an extensive mummification process to prepare a body for the afterlife.

“They had a very specific regimen in the preservation of a body,” White said.

First, they made an incision on the left side of the body and removed the internal organs. Most of them were preserved and placed in jars. Only the heart, which Egyptians believed was the center of intelligence and personality, was placed back in the body.

White said the Egyptians apparently had no use for the brain, which was removed and discarded.

Following this, the bodies were dried out for several days in a bath of natron, which is a salt compound that occurs naturally in Egypt.

Then, the bodies were wrapped. White said that wealthy people might be wrapped in fine linen. However, he said a person of limited means might not be wrapped at all.

Egyptians mummified bodies from about 2600 BC to after 300 AD, a period of nearly 3,000 years.

White said some mummies that have survived to the modern era have the appearance of a person who is asleep.

“So well done,” White said.

However, he said only a few have made it that long.

Embalming is sort of the modern version of mummification, but it has a different purpose.

Bill Young III, a funeral director at the Young Funeral Home in Butler and the Butler County coroner, said embalming is done chemically and is done for short-term preservation for public viewings and funerals.

He said the effectiveness of embalming often depends on when it is done. If someone is embalmed shortly after death, it could preserve the body for a long time.

“It could last forever,” Young said.

He said organs are not removed for embalming, except in certain circumstances, such as an autopsy.

For burial, a wealthy person in Egypt likely would be placed in a nice sarcophagus. At some points in history, these were decorated to look like the person who had died.

White said this was so the sarcophagus could stand in for the person if the body did not make it to the afterlife.

Less wealthy people might be buried in a wooden box. Some were simply buried in the sand.

Today, Young said wooden coffins are not too common, since wood falls apart over a few years. He said metal coffins are the most common.

Ancient Egyptians also were buried with personal possessions they might need in the afterlife. This went for wealthy and poor people. Bodies have been found buried with items such as tools and pottery.

When Tutankhamun’s tomb was found in 1922, he had thousands of items buried with him, including walking sticks, beds, a chariot, thrones, jewelry, wine and a large collection of loincloths.

“Everything he would have enjoyed in life,” White said.

Young said it still is common for people to be buried with personal items or things that the deceased liked, but usually they are nothing of serious value. He has seen people buried with fishing poles, decks of cards and cigarettes.

The elite Egyptians for a long time were buried in, and memorialized with, iconic pyramids.

Many large pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom era, from about 2600 to 2050 BC. They eventually became smaller and there was a period of political strife where very few were built. Pyramids again were built during the Middle Kingdom from about 2000 to 1650 BC.

During the New Kingdom, 1550 to 1200 BC, the Egyptians realized that large pyramids attracted grave robbers and the elite started getting buried in underground tombs.

Wealthy people who were not so grand that they got pyramids were buried in an underground chamber, which was connected to a chamber above ground, where people could visit the dead person and make offerings.

Less wealthy people generally were buried in the sand, and the graves often were unmarked.

In modern times, the most common form of burial is in the ground, usually in a five to five and a half foot hole, with a headstone to mark the location.

Young said that burial in a mausoleum generally is for wealthier people because it costs more.