Mummies are "artificial mummies". This word is transliterated from English mummy and comes from Persian mumiai, which means "asphalt". In many parts of the world, antiseptic spices are used to treat corpses, which will wither over time and form mummies. Among them, the mummies of ancient Egypt are the most famous. The ancient Egyptians believed that the soul would not die after death, but would still cling to the corpse or statue, so Pharaoh and others were mummified after death. The ancient Egyptians used antiseptic spices (embalmed corpses with sesame oil or medicinal materials) to show respect for the dead.

In ancient Egypt, at a very early time, due to cultural reasons, the bodies of kings or ministers were mummified and preserved. This is impossible without a high level of medical care. Unlike ancient China, mummification even became a trend in ancient Egypt.

In addition, cryonics is also called one of the modern mummification techniques by some scholars. If someone dies, his body is first sent to a place called the "clothing department": it is dedicated to purifying the body. After the body was washed with soda water, it was sent to a place called "Babet" (meaning pure land) or "Per-Napier" (meaning beautiful house) to complete the filling of spices.