On this date in 1923, Howard Carter and his team of archaeologists entered the inner tomb of King Tut-ankh-Amen. Examining the well-preserved remains of mummies like King Tut taught researchers a lot about early Egyptian life, as well as that culture’s advanced embalming techniques. Embalming a pharaoh took 70 days. Through an abdominal incision, a surgeon excised the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines. A long hook was used to smash the brain, which was then pulled out through the nostrils. Embalmers stuffed the body with linen and sometimes sawdust and then covered it in sodium carbonate to dry out the body tissues. They anointed the body with oil to keep the skin elastic, wrapped it in linen bandages and placed it in a coffin. From there mourners placed the coffin into a tomb.

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