A Prehistoric Egyptian Mummy: Evidence for an ‘Embalming Recipe’ and the Evolution of Early Formative Funerary Treatments
When one mentions the word ‘mummy,’ Egyptian pharaohs, massive pyramids, lavish burial tombs, and an equally lavish embalming process probably come to mind. These funerary rituals were thought to have begun c. 2500 BCE. However, a recent analysis of the prehistoric Turin mummy shows that rudimentary preparations were made before then. This mummy was the perfect specimen for testing because there was no record of any preservation measures employed after the body had been discovered, which is not true for many other mummies from this period (c. 3600 BCE). Scientists took the opportunity to take textile and tissue samples and perform a battery of tests to determine many things about the life and death of the Turin mummy, but most notably, when three textile samples from different parts of the mummy were analyzed, gas chromatography showed remnants of plant oil or animal fat, a sugar/gum, resin, and plant extract. These tests also indicate that this tincture was heated, which shows that the presence of these compounds was by design. However, there are some flaws with the study that are inherent with such an old and fragile specimen. Firstly, scientists were not able to do another study on a different mummy from this period to confirm their conclusion that there was an intentional embalmment, and second, that they didn’t take more samples from the mummy, again as to have a larger field of data to support any findings (whether more samples were able to be taken is unclear).This indicates three very important ideas to historians. First, that prehistoric Egyptians believed in an afterlife, for which they prepared these mummies. Second, they participated in long distance trade, as one of the preservatives that scientists found originated from the Eastern Mediterranean, and third, they possessed the skills necessary to figure out how to preserve bodies, which combined with the fact that similar compounds were used to embalm mummies during the age of the pharaohs, shows a much higher level of organization than previously believed.
When one mentions the word ‘mummy,’ Egyptian pharaohs, massive pyramids, lavish burial tombs, and an equally lavish embalming process probably come to mind. These funerary rituals were thought to have begun c. 2500 BCE. However, a recent analysis of the prehistoric Turin mummy shows that rudimentary preparations were made before then. This mummy was the perfect specimen for testing because there was no record of any preservation measures employed after the body had been discovered, which is not true for many other mummies from this period (c. 3600 BCE). Scientists took the opportunity to take textile and tissue samples and perform a battery of tests to determine many things about the life and death of the Turin mummy, but most notably, when three textile samples from different parts of the mummy were analyzed, gas chromatography showed remnants of plant oil or animal fat, a sugar/gum, resin, and plant extract. These tests also indicate that this tincture was heated, which shows that the presence of these compounds was by design. However, there are some flaws with the study that are inherent with such an old and fragile specimen. Firstly, scientists were not able to do another study on a different mummy from this period to confirm their conclusion that there was an intentional embalmment, and second, that they didn’t take more samples from the mummy, again as to have a larger field of data to support any findings (whether more samples were able to be taken is unclear).This indicates three very important ideas to historians. First, that prehistoric Egyptians believed in an afterlife, for which they prepared these mummies. Second, they participated in long distance trade, as one of the preservatives that scientists found originated from the Eastern Mediterranean, and third, they possessed the skills necessary to figure out how to preserve bodies, which combined with the fact that similar compounds were used to embalm mummies during the age of the pharaohs, shows a much higher level of organization than previously believed.
1. What exactly is radiocarbon dating and why is it the most accurate method?
ReplyDelete2. How did the scientists know that these resins that were found were not native to the area of the Egyptians at the time?
1. Why did they use the textiles from the basket?
ReplyDelete2. Were they able to specify any of the plant/animal oils? (Higher status = more expensive oils)
1. Why did they take the wrappings from those specific places and not anywhere else?
ReplyDelete2. What other methods of analyzing the mummy did they use?
1. How do scientists account for substances that degraded from the prehistoric mummies over the course of thousands of years?
ReplyDelete2. Do scientists need to test a certain amount of mummy samples to have conclusive records?
1. How do we know that the materials found on the mummy assumed to be for embalming didn't serve another purpose?
ReplyDelete2. What was the objective of the testing of the Turin mummy?
1. Are the oils and resins found in the wrappings similar in composition to current items?
ReplyDelete2. Did they give any specifications about the GC instrument used?
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ReplyDeleteSeptember 10, 2018
ReplyDelete1. What exactly is radiocarbon dating and why is it the most accurate method?
Radiocarbon dating provides an age estimate for a carbon-based material that originated from a living organism. It measures how much carbon-14 (radiocarbon, a weak radioactive isotope of carbon) is present in the sample, and measures this against an internationally used reference standard. The Accelerator Mass Spectrometer is used.
https://www.radiocarbon.com/about-carbon-dating.htm
2. How do we know that the materials found on the mummy assumed to be for embalming didn't serve another purpose?
The materials found on the mummy were chemicals commonly used in the embalming and preservation process of a mummy. Such chemicals used in the embalming process were known - a mixture of plant extracts, oils, and resins.
3. Were they able to specify any of the plant/animal oils?
Such resins used include plant oil, sesame oil, and phenolic acids, which were probably from an aromatic plant extract. Other resins include conifer resin, which would have been sourced from what is now Israel and Palestine (trade routes, possibly).
4. How do scientists account for substances that degraded from the prehistoric mummies over the course of thousands of years?
They use radiocarbon dating – by measuring carbon-14, they can easily estimate the age of a sample containing carbon as it is very accurate, even up to several thousand years old.
https://cen.acs.org/analytical-chemistry/art-artifacts/Egyptian-mummy-gives-embalming-secrets/96/i33