"In this profession, some people work regularly and inherit it as a profession." (Herodotus) Just as Herodotus recorded, mummification dates back to the early 3rd millennium BC. It may date back many years, but was not perfected until many years later to what we officially call mummification. (Dunand 27) We call this mummification and body mummies because of the Persian word for bitumen, which is "mummy." The reason for this name is due to the dark skin of the mummies, which people mistook for bitumen. Bitumen is a mineral formed from a tar-like substance. (Becket 31) One of the main reasons for preparing the body, making it look like asphalt, was for the afterlife. After having been prepared, they are still found today and they arouse enormous fascination and scientific curiosity. (Becket 29) Mummification, a revelatory art, is a means of preserving the human body in various forms and ways throughout the world. What makes a mummy a mummy? If someone found a skeleton or fossil, it wouldn't be a mummy. (Funston 2) To qualify a mummy as a mummy, it must have both skin and bones. If it doesn't look real yet, it's not a mummy. (Becket 1-29) Now, a mummy was a means of properly disposing of the body. They buried the naked body simply with a blanket, then threw it into a shallow hole at the edge of the desert. (David 58) People soon realized that the sun dried out the body, stopping the decomposition process. This discovery gave rise to the idea of ​​treating and drying the body by artificial means. (Becket 29) Mummies can be found everywhere in many different countries. Mummification became very popular in 1000 BC. Ancient Egypt: Death and Beyond. Internet. April 15, 2014. Becket, Ron and Jerry Conlogue. Mommy Dearest: How two guys in a chip truck changed the way the living see the dead. Guilford, Conn.: Lyons Press, 2005. Print. David, A. Rosalie. Mysteries of the Mummy: The story of how a 2,000-year-old mummy was unwrapped by a team of experts. New York: Scribner, 1979-1978. Print. Dunand, Françoise and Roger Lichtenberg. Mummies: A Journey Through Eternity. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1994. Print. “Smithsonian Encyclopedia: Egyptian Mummies.” Smithsonian Encyclopedia: Egyptian Mummies. Internet 2012. April 15, 2014. Funston, Sylvia and Joe Weissmann. Mummies. Toronto: Owl Books, 2000. Print.Grace, New Brunswick Mummies Unwrapped! : The science of making mummies. New York: Franklin Watts, 2008. Print.