The word “mummy” comes from an Arabic word, “mumiya,” linked to bitumen, a tar-like substance.

Ancient Egyptians made mummies for thousands of years to preserve the body for the afterlife.

Egyptian mummification took about 70 days.

Natron, a natural salt, was used to dry out the body.

Mummies were wrapped in long strips of linen.

Ancient Egyptians also mummified animals, including cats.

Tutankhamun’s tomb was found by Howard Carter in 1922.

Mummies can also form naturally in very dry or very cold places. Ötzi the Iceman, found in the Alps in 1991, is about 5,300 years old.

Universal’s film “The Mummy” (1932) starred Boris Karloff.

Halloween has roots in Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival that is more than 2,000 years old.