Major discovery shines light on how mummies were made

Deutsche Welle ^

[FarCenter]

We know a lot about how mummies were embalmed, but the specific substances and mixtures and how exactly they were used have long eluded us — until now.

Scientists have uncovered an ancient embalming facility in Egypt, an unprecedented discovery offering deep insight into the complicated process of how mummies were made and into Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Located around 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Cairo, the facility dates to around 664-525 BC and consists of an aboveground structure and several underground rooms up to 30 meters (98.4 feet) below ground.

The substances found inside were sourced from as far away as Southeast Asia, highlighting an extensive trade network required for the embalming process.

Until now, scientists have gotten the bulk of their information about the mummification process from old papyri texts, Greek historians and the Egyptian mummies themselves.

These sources indicated embalming was a complex process involving different mixtures of special oils, resins and tars.

However, although scientists were able to loosely pinpoint why and where some of these substances were used for embalming, they couldn't make these distinctions for all the ingredients. The old texts offered names of ingredients, yes, but translating ancient substance-related terms is challenging. So there's still debate on which exact substances some names refer to.

And although they could analyze the substances found in ancient mummies, researchers often couldn't pinpoint where, why or how they were used.

In a new study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, authors found and analyzed exactly what researchers have needed to fill these knowledge gaps — 31 labeled ceramic containers, still full of residue, from a 600 BC embalming workshop. Some even contained instructions on how and where to use the specific substances.

[bert]

Natron was the mummification agent. All the other stuff was secondary.

[gov_bean_ counter]

How mummies were made?

Mummies and daddy’s are all explained in Genesis… Duck and cover time.

[Larry Lucido]

Look for a self-made mummy. One that’s not wrapped too tight.

[Doctor Congo]

FUN FACT: Jacob was embalmed Egyptian style by the order of his son Joseph.

[Red Badger]

[chopperk]

Demented Joe has been mummified for years especially his brain.

[Buttons12]

Great! Now find us a Minoan-Greek dictionary.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Thank you! I was wracking my brain trying to remember the name of the substance. Starts with an "N"...Na...something.

You've saved me a decent amount of time researching.

[Migraine]

That’s right; you start with a debonair cadaver.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks FarCenter.

• Ancient Goo Spills The Secrets of How The Egyptians Mummified Their Dead [02/01/2023]

[Opinionated Blowhard]

And although they could analyze the substances found in ancient mummies, researchers often couldn't pinpoint where, why or how they were used.

This shouldn't have been a mystery. Nancy Pelosi has been using the same substances for years.

[Sequoyah101]

Too bad he isn’t, FIB.

[FarCenter]

The surprising chemicals used to embalm Egyptian mummies

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04400-1

To identify the specific contents of the vessels, an Egyptian–German team analysed the mixtures using a technique called gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, at a National Research Centre laboratory in Giza, Egypt. This showed that the pots contained substances previously linked to mummification, including extracts from juniper bushes, cypress trees and cedar trees, which grow in the eastern Mediterranean region. The team also found bitumen from the Dead Sea, along with animal fats and beeswax, probably of local origin

But the researchers also identified two surprising ingredients: one resin called elemi, which comes from Canarium trees that grow in rainforests in Asia and Africa; and another called dammar that comes from Shorea trees found in tropical forests in southern India, Sri Lanka and southeast Asia.

“Egypt was resource poor in terms of many resinous substances, so many were procured or traded from distant lands,” says Carl Heron, an archaeological scientist at the British Museum in London.

Ancient trade networks connected India and southeast Asia with the Mediterranean region. But it’s not clear whether Egyptian embalmers sought out these specific ingredients or came across them through trial and error, says Ikram. “Absolutely amazing”, she says. “Who would have thought that they were getting stuff that might be coming from India?”

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks. On a related note, I’ve finally gotten near the end of the book I’ve been reading on the Indian Ocean trade during the Roman Empire.