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Our Leeds YAC members headed back to Egyptian times for their September 2017 meeting themed on mummification.
They learnt all about the different animals that were mummified, and had a go at making their own bronze mummy cats (from toilet rolls and brown paper!)
The members also created canopic jars, complete with clay heads to represent the Egyptian gods. During mummification of a person, the internal organs were removed from the body, and placed in canopic jars. A person's lungs, intestines, stomach and liver were all placed in separate canopic jars, protected by a different Egyptian god. Hapi, the baboon-headed god, protected the lungs; Qebehsenuef, who has a falcon’s head, looked after the intestines; Duametef, a jackal-headed god, protected the stomach; and Imsety, with a human face, looked after the liver
If you're inspired to try making your own canopic jars, check out the activity on the YAC website, complete with step-by-step instructions.
The Leeds YACs also enjoyed a madcap game of Egyptian "fact or act" pass the parcel. Challenges included between the layers of 'mummy wrappings' included building cup pyramids and pinning the tail/head on the sphinx!