Smelling mummies taught scientists about ancient society
According to a team of trained mummy snifters, the aroma of the mother can provide insight into the social class and historical period
Selection of mummified bodies in the exhibition area of the Egyptian museum in Cairo.
If you were asked to describe the smell emanating from an ancient Egyptian mother, as you would discuss a high-end perfume or a good wine bouquet, you can refer to the aroma notes of old linen, pine resin and citrus oils-with a whispering of the paste repair.
This vivid comparison stems from a new laboratory Analysis of nine mummies From various social classes and historical periods. Researchers from Slovenia, England, Poland and Egypt collaborated with the Egyptian museum in Cairo to identify more than 50 unique compounds from air samples taken around each mummy. The samples were analyzed chemically and then presented to specially trained human “snifters”, which were asked to describe them in descriptive, sensory language such as “sour” or “spicy”. Team conclusions, recently published Journal of the American Chemical SocietyThis reflects how the study of smell can help enrich our understanding of cultural artifacts such as mummies, including local scientists.
The co-writer of the study says Abdellarazake elnagar In the heritage science laboratory at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.* To collect samples of odor, they put a small tube around each mum (to touch delicate residues) to close the gas molecules that were still emitting that residues were still emitted. The team used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify chemical compounds in samples.
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Emma Paolin, PhD researcher at the University of Ljubljana, smells on the olfactory port of a gas chromatograph-sphere spectrometer equipment. The analyst describes the smell in the context of quality, intensity and headonic tone.
Faculty of Andrez Crisis for Ljubljana University
A group of people, mostly the staff of the museum, were tasked to describe the smell. Elnaggar and colleagues trained the participants to identify special materials used in mammification that may be associated with specific smells. He also learned how to distinguish between the smells coming from the mummies and which can be caused by the infrastructure or conservation remedies of the museum.
The resulting fragrance profiles were complex, but Mumi was often described by trained snifters as “sweet,” “Woody” and “spicy”. Researchers hope that the method can be used on a large set of mummies to better understand various mammification practices occurring in ancient Egypt. “Different historical methods (of mammification) represent various quality of various materials and materials used in mammification,” Elnagar explains. For example, the Egyptian mummies first dating back around 5000 BC, when the remains of the deceased persons who were naturally buried in hot, dry sand. Artificial mammaling technology began around 2700 BC and was the most sophisticated during the New Kingdom, which began around 1500 BCE during that time, bodies received complete treatment with various types of oils and resins. The oldest mammians in the study were from the New Kingdom, but researchers found that the latter men from the late period (about 660 to 330 BCE) showed each other some olfactory similarities.
Additionally, it is possible that some differences in smell may be due to variation in mammification practices for individuals of different social classes. The study co-writer says, “Over time,” individuals of high social status will be better or more intensive with natural extracts. , Matija Strli & ccaron;An analytical chemist at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. For example, he explains, the bodies of Pharaoh and other elbows were treated with fresh natural salts and resins obtained from expensive herbs, while many times salts and other materials were re -used for the body of poor classes. In the study, the bestly protected mummy was in a coffin with a gland mask, and even though it was one of the oldest, there were many types of smell compounds that were often found in higher concentrations than other mummies.
Using local protectors was an important part of this study, Elnagar says, as they have a stake as a stake in Egyptian cultural heritage and are exposed to the smell of artifacts in their work. In many ways, they say, it prepares them well to describe mummy scents for both researchers and casual museum visitor.
“Smell is very closely connected to the region in our brain – Amigdala and Hippocampus – which is responsible for processing memory and emotions,” Barbara hubberAn archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute of Jioantropology in Jena, Germany, who was not involved in the new study, but was cured Exhibition on 2023 Mummy Scents in Denmark. “Many times you see this glass (blocked) objects inside, and stories about the past are missing.” Thus, in some ways, commonly used museum performance methods are betrayed how important smells of historical narratives can be for our understanding, Huber says, especially for “an incredibly fragrant experience”, such as mammification. “To really experience cultural heritage, we need to include all our senses – because in gaining full experience of the past, the smell of heritage is smelling and the sounds of heritage are contained”; They say.
Can we expect to grab a bottle of mummy perfume from the museum shop soon? Researchers say it cannot be away from the table. “Everyone would like to smell like ancient Egyptians: Sweet, Woody and Spicy,” Elnagar. “Now what we want to do is that we share their experience with the visitors of the museum so that they can enjoy it in the exhibition – and even take it home!”
,Editor’s note (3/14/25): It was edited after posting this sentence to clarify that Abdelrazake Elnagar is at the Heritage Science Lab at Lajblajna University.
