Why are mummies wrapped? Real mummies and an easy mummy costume

A CT scan can look beneath a mummy’s wrappings while leaving the linen in place. In 2017, Spain’s National Archaeological Museum announced what it had found around an Egyptian man named Nespamedu: 25 objects, including sandals, a headband and 16 amulets. Someone had prepared his burial with care. 6

Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen to enclose and shape the body for burial. Resins were part of the treatment, and protective amulets could be placed between the layers. Ancient Egyptians believed this preparation helped a person enter the afterlife. Human mummies were once living people; the mummy that wakes up belongs to fiction.

Jump to: The wrappings · Making a mummy · Are they real? · Other places · DIY costume · Easy makeup.

Why are mummies wrapped?

The linen enclosed the body, helped give it its final shape and formed part of the funeral rituals. Wrapping served a physical purpose while also preparing the person for the transformation Egyptians hoped would follow death. 1

Embalmers used sheets and strips of linen in layers. Some techniques also used resin, a plant substance applied to the fabric to help model the figure. Methods changed over the long history of ancient Egypt. 3

The Field Museum describes prayers written on linen and amulets placed among the wrappings. Those objects were meant to protect the person on the journey ahead. If your child asks why anyone would spend so much time on a burial, that belief is a useful place to begin.

Egyptologist Dorothea Arnold explains the religious meaning of wrapping at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The linen helped create a new form associated with eternal life. Holding the body together was only part of what the people preparing the funeral hoped to do.

Spain’s National Archaeological Museum has a small, tangible example: a linen mummy bandage with hieroglyphs in ink, dated to 300–30 BCE. Words could be part of the wrapping itself. 5 That gives you something to point out when a Halloween costume turns every bandage into a plain white strip.

How did ancient Egyptians make a mummy?

Embalmers prepared the body, dried it with natron, added substances and packing materials, and wrapped it in linen. Ceremonies accompanied the work. The elaborate method described by the Australian Museum took about 70 days and was practiced from roughly 1550 to 664 BCE. 2

For a school assignment, four steps give your child a clear explanation without graphic details:

1. Prepare the person who had died. Embalmers cleaned the body and treated some organs separately. The heart usually stayed inside.
2. Remove moisture. Natron, a naturally occurring mixture of salts, helped dry the body. In this method, drying took about 40 days.
3. Shape the body. Packing materials helped fill it out, and preparations including resins were applied.
4. Wrap and prepare for burial. Linen went around the body, sometimes with amulets among the layers, followed by the remaining funeral preparations.

This describes an elaborate procedure. A family’s resources and the time in which a person lived affected the treatment they received. 1 2 Even a famous mummy tells one part of Egypt’s history.

Did the bandages do all the preserving? Drying and other treatments were part of the process too. You can give the jobs different verbs: natron dried; linen wrapped. The work belonged to a religious ceremony that took far longer than putting on a Halloween costume.

Are mummies real?

Yes. Mummies are the preserved bodies of people or animals that died. Some were deliberately prepared; others were preserved by conditions in the place where they lay. 7

The mummy that gets up and chases someone is a horror character. Karl Freund’s 1932 film The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff, is a landmark in its movie history. 12 It belongs alongside the other classic Halloween monsters your child might recognize in a costume parade.

In a museum, the person behind the character comes back into view. You can begin with their name, when it is known, and where they lived. A coffin, a written cloth or an object placed beside them may be what catches your child’s attention. There is room to be curious and considerate at the same time.

How did ancient wrappings become part of a Halloween character?

Mummification goes back thousands of years; the movie monster came much later. These dates put the different parts of the story in order:

Date	What happened
Around 5050 BCE	Chile’s Natural History Museum of Valparaíso dates Chinchorro mummies to approximately this time, long before the Egyptian procedures listed below. 9
Around 1550–664 BCE	Egyptians used the elaborate mummification method described by the Australian Museum. 2
300–30 BCE	The linen bandage with hieroglyphs now held by Spain’s National Archaeological Museum dates to this period. 5
1932	Karl Freund’s The Mummy appeared, starring Boris Karloff. 12
2017	Spain’s National Archaeological Museum announced the 25 objects revealed beneath Nespamedu’s wrappings by CT imaging. 6

Stories people tell

People say…	What we know
The bandages kept the mummy from escaping.	Linen was part of preparing the body for burial and transforming the person for the afterlife, according to Egyptian beliefs. 1
All mummies are Egyptian and wrapped in bandages.	Mummification also happened elsewhere, sometimes through natural processes. 7 8
Mummies are afraid of cats.	A real mummy remains dead. In ancient Egypt, cats were associated with Bastet and were also mummified; the British Museum holds a cat wrapped in linen. 13

Bringing someone to life is also part of the story of Frankenstein. A writer or filmmaker decides what happens within that particular story.

Are there mummies in other places?

Yes. Chinchorro mummies from South America and bodies preserved in European peat bogs show two different paths: deliberate preparation and preservation by the surrounding environment.

The Chinchorro lived along the Pacific coast of what is now southern Peru and northern Chile. UNESCO recognizes the sites in Arica and Parinacota as holding the oldest known archaeological evidence of artificial mummification. Their funerary practices included people of different ages and social groups. The same sites also contain bodies preserved by environmental conditions. 8 9

Bog bodies were preserved in certain peat bogs, where acidic conditions, little oxygen and cold could help tissues survive. Such conditions have to come together; a wet place alone will not do the same job. The National Museum of Denmark explains this natural process. 10

Ireland’s examples include Oldcroghan Man and Clonycavan Man. The National Museum of Ireland’s research project dates them to roughly 400–200 BCE. Both were found in 2003. They connect the word mummy with a landscape very different from an Egyptian desert.

A map makes those distances visible: Egypt in Africa, Chile on South America’s Pacific coast, Ireland beside Great Britain. Ireland also appears in the story of where Halloween came from. The bog bodies and the holiday each have their own history.

How can you make an easy DIY mummy costume?

Attach short fabric or soft gauze strips to a light-colored shirt and pants. The pattern suggests mummy bandages while leaving your child able to walk, sit and take the clothes off easily. Keep the entire face and neck uncovered.

Before you start: movement, skin and flames

Put the strips on clothing without binding them around your child’s body. Leave eyes, nose and mouth clear. Skip head wraps, neck wraps and dangling ends near the feet. Your child should be able to raise both arms, walk and sit comfortably. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends well-fitting costumes short enough to prevent trips.

Keep fabric and paper away from candles, heaters and open flames; use battery lights. Add something reflective for evening trick-or-treating. Avoid pins, neck cords and small pieces that could come loose, especially around children under three. 16 17

For makeup, use face cosmetics labeled for your child’s age and follow their directions. Acrylic craft paint and markers belong on paper. The FDA recommends testing makeup on the arm 24–48 hours ahead. Spain’s consumer organization OCU advises against makeup for children under three. Keep paint away from eyes and lips, and leave the whole eye area bare on younger children. 16

Materials, time and steps

You’ll need comfortable light-colored clothes, a clean old sheet or soft non-compression gauze, adult-use scissors and fabric tape used according to its directions. Work with the clothes laid flat. Allow roughly 30–45 minutes. Your child chooses the arrangement; you cut and attach the pieces.

1. Cut short fabric strips, wide enough to make visible bands. Remove loose threads. Cut gauze into short sections too; leave elastic compression bandages for their medical purpose.
2. Let your child arrange the strips across the shirt. Cross a few diagonally and leave some of the shirt showing through.
3. Attach the ends to the clothing, on the front and back, following the tape’s directions. Keep tape off skin and leave the neckline and clothing openings clear.
4. Repeat on the pants with separate pieces. Leave the waistband, knees and ankles free, with every strip ending above the shoes.
5. Try everything on and move. Have your child walk, sit and raise both arms. Remove anything that pulls, loosens or gets in the way of a bathroom trip.

Can you make a mummy costume with toilet paper?

Toilet paper works for a short indoor game. Attach small sections to the front of a shirt without winding them around the body. It tears easily and loses strength when wet. Fabric is more practical for a classroom costume parade or a walk around the neighborhood.

Keep the face and neck clear whichever material you choose. Once the costume comes off, the Halloween printables offer a way to keep drawing and playing at the table.

How can you do easy mummy makeup?

Paint a few white bandages on one cheek and outline them in gray. Most of the face can stay bare; the striped shirt already carries the costume. Allow about 10 minutes, in addition to the skin test beforehand.

Materials: white and gray cosmetic face paint, a clean brush and sponge, and whatever the label specifies for removal. Your child chooses the cheek; you apply the products.

1. Wash your hands and start with clean, dry skin. Check the product’s directions.
2. Paint two or three white bands on a cheek, well away from the eyes, nose and mouth.
3. Add a thin gray edge to each band. One short crossing line can show where two bandages overlap.
4. Ask how it feels. Remove the product if itching or redness appears. When the game ends, take the makeup off as directed, before bedtime. 15

Save dark eye sockets for a drawing on paper. Your child’s own expression can do the rest.

How can you explain mummies to a young child?

A short explanation helps separate the person who lived long ago from the character your child is playing.

Read aloud, ages 4–8

Real mummies are the preserved bodies of people or animals that died. In ancient Egypt, some families prepared the people who had died and wrapped them in linen. They added amulets because they believed these would help on a journey to another life. Mummies that wake up are characters in books and movies. Your costume is for moving and playing. The people in a museum once had lives of their own, and we treat them with care.

What can you discuss in class?

One question brings the person behind the wrappings into view: What would you like to know about someone who lived thousands of years ago: what they ate, who they lived with or what games they played? Children can speak or draw. A map and everyday objects are enough for the discussion; images of human remains can stay out of the activity.

Frequently asked questions

Were all mummies pharaohs?

People from different social groups were mummified. In Egypt, resources affected the treatment a person received. Chinchorro funerary practices also included men, women and children from different parts of society. 1 8

Can researchers study mummies without unwrapping them?

CT scans can show the body and objects beneath the linen. Nespamedu’s 25 burial objects are an example of what imaging can reveal while the wrappings stay in place. 6

How can you adapt a mummy costume for a baby?

Choose comfortable clothing with a printed bandage pattern. Keep the face and neck clear and skip makeup and added strips that could come loose. Follow the labeled age for any accessory. 16

For another white costume with a different story behind it, explore Halloween ghosts and their sheets together.

Sources

1. Dorothea Arnold, “Tutankhamun’s Funeral”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010. Egyptological account of the process and its religious meaning.

1. Australian Museum, “How were ancient Egyptians mummified?”, updated 2023. Museum overview of an elaborate method and its timing.

1. UCL, Digital Egypt: Mummies and Mummification — Old Kingdom, 2003. University resource on linen, resin and changing techniques.

1. Field Museum, Inside Ancient Egypt. Museum explanation of natron, prayers and amulets.

1. Spain’s National Archaeological Museum, “Fragmento de venda de momia”, inventory 2001/101/1, in Spanish. Object record for linen, ink and dating.

1. Spain’s National Archaeological Museum, “Los secretos de las momias del MAN”, June 13, 2017, in Spanish. Institutional results of Nespamedu’s CT examination.

1. Patricia Munguía, INAH, “Las momias de Guanajuato, un patrimonio vivo”, in Spanish. Anthropological explanation of natural and artificial mummification.

1. UNESCO, Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture in the Arica and Parinacota Region, inscribed 2021. Heritage description of the practice and its social reach.

1. Natural History Museum of Valparaíso, “Momias Chinchorro: las más antiguas del mundo”, in Spanish. Regional context and the approximate date of 5050 BCE.

1. National Museum of Denmark, “The chemistry of the bog bodies”. Museum account of the conditions needed for preservation.

1. National Museum of Ireland, Bog Bodies Research Project. Institutional research on Oldcroghan Man and Clonycavan Man.

1. British Film Institute, The Mummy (1932) and Christopher Machell, history of the Universal horror cycle, 2017. Film records and criticism.

1. British Museum, mummified cat EA6753. Archaeological catalog for the animal, its wrappings and its connection with Bastet.

1. FDA, Halloween Safety Tips. Public-health guidance on patch testing, cosmetics and visibility.

1. FDA, Novelty Makeup. Public-health directions for application and removal.

1. OCU, Halloween costume and makeup guidance, October 28, 2025, in Spanish. Consumer guidance including the precaution for children under three.

1. American Academy of Pediatrics, Halloween Fun & Safety Tips for Kids of All Ages, 2026. Pediatric advice on costume fit, accessories and nighttime outings.