Many ancient cultures mummies from their dead. But the people most famous for their mummies are the ancient Egyptians. The first Egyptian mummies were not created on purpose. Bodies were buried shallow graves in the sand. The dry wind and heat of the desert often dried out these bodies very quickly and preserved them naturally. Bu, around 5,000 years ago, the Egyptian began to make their own mummies. It took about seventy day to make a mummy from a dead body. At first, because it was so expensive, only very rich and important people were mummified (made into mummies).Later, many Egyptians were able to afford it. Today, archchaeolongists in Egyp often find mummies. They are a great way to study and learn about the past.