Egyptian Mummies In ancient Egyptian society preserving a body after death was an important process necessary for entrance into an immortal existence. According to Egyptian belief the soul did not die. The soul would take the form of a bird usually a falcon and fly around in the world of the living returning later it's dead body. The importance of preserving the body revolved around the idea that the roaming soul would be able to recognize the right body and return to it. As a result of this theology Egyptians developed an effective system of embalming. The Egyptian embalming process was a significant and complicated