They have been perfectly preserved for thousands of years. The facial features are still visible to this day. We are of course talking about the Egyptian mummies. This was a spiritual process and ancient texts show that it took 70 days to complete. And now scientists have discovered the secret behind the embalming itself: Because the Egyptians knew what they were doing – how to prevent meat from rotting, and it all has to do with a carefully selected recipe. From remains in pottery urns and jars, in an old workshop, researchers have managed to analyze what they contain. And the results have provided new insights. It should be even more surprising that we now also know which substances were used for the various parts of the body. The study has been published in the renowned journal Nature. Ancient instructions found The discovery is partly thanks to the remains in these urns. They were investigated using biomolecular techniques. A total of 31 specimens have been studied. But not only the content was decisive. Because in addition, you must have found both the name of the content as well as descriptions of use. – We have been familiar with these names since the ancient Egyptian writings were deciphered. But until now it has only been possible to guess which names represent the various substances. That’s what archaeologist Susanne Beck at the University of Tübingen in Germany says in a press release. The results and content must have surprised the researchers. The picture shows several of the urns found at the well-known burial site in Sakkara in Egypt. The necropolis is said to be close to 3,000 years old. Photo: M. Abdelghaffar / University of Tübingen Thought it was myrrh and frankincense – The substance, which was labeled by the ancient Egyptians with the name “antiu”, has long been translated as myrrh or frankincense. But now we have found that this is actually a mixture of different ingredients. Archaeologist Maxime Rageot says so. And the content must be a mixture of various natural oils, juniper, tar, animal fat and resin. In addition, detailed descriptions must have explained how the various substances were used. These included the following explanations: “To apply to the head”, “to bandage or embalm with” and “to make the smell pleasant”. Detailed descriptions Eight of the 31 urns had instructions on how to treat the heads of the deceased. Here, resin from pistachios and castor oil were two important ingredients – often in a mixture of other substances. Animal fat is said to have been used, among other things, to deal with the smell of the dead bodies. In addition, the fat was used together with beeswax to treat the skin surface. This is supposed to have taken place on the third day of the process. Oils from plants and trees, as well as tar, are said to have been used to treat the bandages in which the mummies were wrapped. And as if this were not enough. These mixtures can also say something about global trade at this time. These inscriptions are one of those found on the urns. Here the following should be written: “to be put on his head”. Photo: SAQARA SAITE TOMBS PROJECT/UNIVERSITY OF TÜBINGEN Mummification Photo: NASSER NURI / REUTERS A mummy is a corpse that, through chemical preparation, retains the body’s natural shape, so that the muscles and bones do not decay. The embalming technique was known to the Assyrians, Persians and Egyptians in ancient times. Mummies are best known from Egypt, where embalming was used as early as 3000 BC. Quantities of mummies have been preserved, especially of kings and priests. In ancient Egypt, a mummification process could take 70 days. The body was embalmed with baking soda, and dried for 40 days before embalming began. In embalming, resin and asphalt substances were used with which the corpse was inserted after the entrails had been removed. Some bodies may have been placed in preservative fluid before being wrapped in 20 layers of textiles and given a final layer of resin. (Sources: Store Norske Leksikon/The Independent) Asia, Africa and Europe The researchers found that the various substances must have come from different places in the world. The cedar oil probably came from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. In addition, traces of ingredients from Africa and South-East Asia have been found. Experts therefore believe that a lot of work went into obtaining the specific content for the embalming. The researchers do not ignore the fact that this could have been important in the establishment of global trade networks. In the future, they will continue to analyze content. – Thanks to the inscriptions on the urns, we will in the future be able to interpret the vocabulary even better. This is ancient Egyptian chemistry which until now we have not been able to decipher, says archaeologist Philipp Stockhammer. Casting doubt Some researchers nevertheless warn that these ingredients in the urns may have changed over time. Which means that the analyzes are not necessarily completely reliable. To Science, Kate Fulcher, a cultural heritage researcher at the British Museum, says the following: – No one has done a controlled experiment, where they have seen how resin ages over 3,000 years. It is not known whether the substance will deteriorate. And then you don’t know what these chemical compounds look like after all that time.
ttn-69
Old remains reveal what the ancient Egyptians used to mummify their dead – news Trøndelag
