Biomolecular analyses enable new insights into ancient Egyptian embalming

Maxime Rageot (), Ramadan B. Hussein, Susanne Beck, Victoria Altmann-Wendling, Mohammed I. M. Ibrahim, Mahmoud M. Bahgat, Ahmed M. Yousef, Katja Mittelstaedt, Jean-Jacques Filippi, Stephen Buckley, Cynthianne Spiteri and Philipp W. Stockhammer ()
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Maxime Rageot: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Ramadan B. Hussein: Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Susanne Beck: Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Victoria Altmann-Wendling: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Mohammed I. M. Ibrahim: the National Research Centre
Mahmoud M. Bahgat: the National Research Centre
Ahmed M. Yousef: the National Research Centre
Katja Mittelstaedt: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Jean-Jacques Filippi: Robertet S.A.
Stephen Buckley: Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Cynthianne Spiteri: Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Philipp W. Stockhammer: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Nature, 2023, vol. 614, issue 7947, 287-293

Abstract: Abstract The ability of the ancient Egyptians to preserve the human body through embalming has not only fascinated people since antiquity, but also has always raised the question of how this outstanding chemical and ritual process was practically achieved. Here we integrate archaeological, philological and organic residue analyses, shedding new light on the practice and economy of embalming in ancient Egypt. We analysed the organic contents of 31 ceramic vessels recovered from a 26th Dynasty embalming workshop at Saqqara1,2. These vessels were labelled according to their content and/or use, enabling us to correlate organic substances with their Egyptian names and specific embalming practices. We identified specific mixtures of fragrant or antiseptic oils, tars and resins that were used to embalm the head and treat the wrappings using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses. Our study of the Saqqara workshop extends interpretations from a micro-level analysis highlighting the socio-economic status of a tomb owner3–7 to macro-level interpretations of the society. The identification of non-local organic substances enables the reconstruction of trade networks that provided ancient Egyptian embalmers with the substances required for mummification. This extensive demand for foreign products promoted trade both within the Mediterranean8–10 (for example, Pistacia and conifer by-products) and with tropical forest regions (for example, dammar and elemi). Additionally, we show that at Saqqara, antiu and sefet—well known from ancient texts and usually translated as ‘myrrh’ or ‘incense’11–13 and ‘a sacred oil’13,14—refer to a coniferous oils-or-tars-based mixture and an unguent with plant additives, respectively.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05663-4

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