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Nikki Tundel
St. Paul, Minn.

How embalming changed death

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Civil War
Modern embalming got its start during the Civil War. The bodies of those killed in battle were preserved so they could be shipped home for proper family funerals.
Library of Congress

The Babylonians preserved their dead by putting them in jars of honey. The Egyptians perfected mummification. And the deceased British admiral Lord Nelson was placed in a cask of brandy.

Throughout history, societies have sought ways preserve the human body. Reporter Nikki Tundel takes a look at how embalming shaped the way we view death.

Gallery
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The birth of modern embalming
Modern embalming got its start during the Civil War. The bodies of those killed in battle were preserved so they could be shipped home for proper family funerals.
Library of Congress
1 of 4
Embalming on the battlefield
Doctors set up tents to embalm the bodies of dead soldiers. This picture shows an embalming facility at Camp Letterman, Gettysburg, in 1863.
Chrysler Museum of Art
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Early efforts
This 19th century illustration depicts ancient Egyptians preserving a body through mummification. Egypt is credited with being the land where embalming began. Between 6000 B.C. and A.D. 600, approximately 400 million bodies were mummified.
Eon Images