How did Egyptian mummies remove the brain from the body?

Ancient Egyptian mummies likely did not pull out brain fragments with hooks when preparing the body for the afterlife.

The mummy of Pharaoh Amenhotep I in the Cairo Museum, Egypt. (Photo: Patrick Landmann)

The experiments suggest they likely used a much more efficient method of removing the brain, according to Stephen Buckley, an expert on mummification. Buckley, an archaeologist and analytical chemist at the University of York, said he conducted experiments on sheep to test ways to remove the brain, Business Insider reported on December 25.

Buckley found that pulling the brain out piece by piece was not easy. He said that pulling out pieces of brain with a hook was not particularly effective. The brain of a deceased person could be removed slowly with a metal hook, with repeated prodding. However, the removal process was less troublesome when the brain was liquid. If the hook was stirred for 20 minutes, the brain would turn to liquid and be able to be poured out.

Sometimes, the ancient Egyptians left the brains in place , especially in the mummies of early rulers. They left the brains in place instead of removing them. The mortician would let the brains dry inside the skulls. For example, the mummies of Pharaoh Thutmose I, Queen Tiye, wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, and Pharaoh Amenhotep I were all found with intact brain tissue.

The ancient Egyptians did not know much about bacteria, but they clearly knew that removing internal organs from the body had a profound effect on slowing down the process of decomposition. If possible, they always removed the intestines, lungs, and other internal organs from the body of a deceased person, then processed them for preservation separately. In some cases, they placed them in jars or put them back into the mummy.