Preserved for Eternity: What Mummies Can Teach Us About Conservation

I can’t stop thinking about how careful they were.

At the King Tut Immersive Experience, there’s this moment where the lighting shifts and you’re surrounded by these intricate burial items — golden shrines, ceremonial oils, linens folded with almost ridiculous precision. You realize: this wasn’t just a burial. It was a process. A ritual. A whole logistical operation to keep one body intact for eternity.

The Egyptians didn’t do anything halfway. They preserved what mattered — bodies, stories, sacred animals, and even royal flip-flops (no joke) — because they believed the future depended on remembering the past.

And I can’t help but think: That’s conservation.

Mummification: The Original Long-Term Storage Solution

Let’s break it down. The process of mummification wasn’t just about drying out a body. It was a meticulous, spiritual act involving:

• Organ removal (but saved in little jars, because you might need them later)

• Salting and drying with natron, a naturally occurring mineral blend

• Wrapping in layers of linen — often with charms, amulets, or prayers between folds

• Placement in protective coffins — sometimes nested like a Matryoshka doll of sarcophagi

• Burial with goods for the next life — food, clothing, furniture, even a favorite board game

It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t cheap. But it was intentional. They were preserving something — or someone — they believed mattered.

What Does That Have to Do with Today?

We might not be wrapping up falcons in linen anymore (at least, I hope we’re not), but the idea of preserving what we value? Still super relevant.

Modern conservation is basically nature’s version of mummification:

• Protecting habitats so ecosystems stay intact

• Archiving seeds in vaults for future generations

• Tagging and tracking species so we don’t lose them entirely

• Even restoring ancient grasslands or fire regimes to keep the balance

It’s all a kind of long-term bet. Just like the Egyptians were making.

Legacy Isn’t Just for Pharaohs

The whole reason Egyptians went to such great lengths to preserve their dead? They believed the afterlife required memory. If no one remembered your name, if your body didn’t survive…you didn’t either.

Which kind of hits hard.

Whether we’re talking about species loss, disappearing languages, or melting glaciers, so much of what we’re trying to protect today is about not forgetting.

So yeah — maybe King Tut didn’t know he’d inspire eco-anxiety in 2025, but here we are. And I, for one, think we should take the hint:

What we preserve today shapes what’s possible tomorrow.

Field Tip: Leave Your Own Legacy

You don’t need a tomb to make your mark. Here are a few modern, non-creepy ways to preserve what matters:

• Plant a native tree. It might outlive you.

• Keep a nature journal for your kids or future self.

• Help document biodiversity through citizen science projects (like iNaturalist).

• Support land trusts or organizations preserving open space in your area.

Because one day, someone might stumble across your field notes — and feel the same awe we do standing in front of Tut’s golden mask.

This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.