The method of ancient Egyptian embalming in which the organs were dissolved with cedar oil is associated with a specific step in the embalming process known as "excerebration" or "evisceration." This process was part of the mummification procedure and involved the removal of internal organs.
During excerebration, after making an incision in the left side of the deceased's body, embalmers removed various internal organs such as the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines. The brain, however, posed a unique challenge. Instead of removing it through the incision, embalmers used a hook-like instrument to reach up through the nasal cavity and break apart the brain tissue. Once the brain was broken down, it was often liquefied and drained out.
Cedar oil, among other substances, was then used in the preservation process. The body cavity and the emptied skull were often treated with natron (a type of salt) and sometimes substances like cedar oil to aid in the preservation of the body. This meticulous process of mummification was a crucial aspect of ancient Egyptian religious beliefs about the afterlife, as they believed in the preservation of the body for the journey to the next world.
