What is the smell of Egyptian mummies?

A new study analyzes the smells of mummies released by ancient Egypt, revealing Woody, sweet and spicy aromas associated with materials used in the mummification process.

Investigating, conducted by scientists University College London (UCL) and from University of LibiconIncludes sophisticated chemical analysis with people’s sensory descriptions.

“We have decided to explore this idea of ​​the nose in the case of mummed bodys in the case of mummy bodys,” said Cicelia Bibbre London Reuters Cicelia Bebiber.

Researchers studied nine mummies The Egyptian Museum of Cairo. Using a tube, they collected ten liters of air from the inside of the sarcophy, without opening or damaging the coffins. This pattern is analyzed to identify chemicals that cause odors.

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In addition to laboratory analysis, a group of trained assessors have been collected to explain the characteristics of intensity, quality and pleasant odors. The participants were identified Sweet, resin, woody and black tea aromas.

“We worked with the human analysts that smell the air volumes from the sarcophagus and explain their smells. Some smells are sweet, wood, resin, some teas, and smelling black tea, and how we trained our noses. We smelled all the ingredients.”

The results indicate the existence of the Spices such as conifer resins, vegetable oils and cinnamon such as vegetable oils such as mirror, incense, cedar and juniper.

Estes The materials were used in the embaming, Not only for its traditional performance, but also for symbolic reasons: in ancient Egypt, pleasant odors are associated with purity and divinity, but unpleasant odors are a sign of decay.

“This study helps us to understand the embalming process a little better and understand the ingredients. For example, we have found the smells of vegetable oils such as Cedar and Juniper. We have also found many chemicals that represent resins such as incense and mirror. Some of them come to us a thousand years later.”

It is also allowed to determine the difference between investigation Subsequent applicable preservatives such as materials and pesticides used in the original process.

It is a non-invasive and non-distributed technique that provides a new way to study the old traces without compromising its integrity.