Mummification

Mummification was the process of preserving corpses through drying and tanning processes. The Egyptians made it an art form, removing most internal organs and wrapping the deceased in linen, adding an increasing amount of charms and decorations the more wealthy and important the subject was in life. Slightly less well-known than Egyptian mummies are the peat-bog mummies which were preserved by the conditions of the peat bogs in which they were buried by the ancient Celts, and the mummies of South America, including the Chinchorro mummies, which are among the oldest of all intentionally preserved dead bodies.

Nowadays you get drained of all your blood and pumped full of embalming fluids. Then they put you in a nice suit or dress, sew shut your eyelids and mouth, and paint your face up.

Natural mummification has preserved organisms to the present day. The conditions required are poor for the proliferation of decomposers, such as in the desert or on high mountains. Dry air, even that of an air conditioned building, can easily dessicate and preserve small animals such as lizards that die in hidden places.