By analyzing the residue from a 2,500 to 2,700-year-old embalming workshop in Egypt, scientists have identified the substances used in the embalming technology of ancient Egyptians.
While researchers previously knew the names of the substances used for embalming from ancient Egyptian texts, they could only speculate about the compounds and materials until recently.
Now, through molecular analysis of the sediment found at the bottom of the jars used for embalming, excavated from a site discovered in 2016 in the Saqqara pyramid complex, an ancient Egyptian burial ground in present-day Giza, Egypt, several mysteries have been unveiled.
Jars and containers holding embalming liquids excavated from a workshop in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt. (Photo: M. Abdelghaffar).
A total of 121 jars and containers were excavated from the embalming workshop, which was in use during the seventh and sixth centuries BCE.
In a study published on February 1 in the scientific journal Nature, German and Egyptian scientists investigated the organic residue in 31 of the jars that showed the clearest traces.
Simulation of an embalming scene for a priest at an underground embalming workshop. (Author: Nikola Nevenov).
The study revealed that ancient Egyptians used various substances to apply to the corpses to mask odors and protect the mummies from fungi, bacteria, and decay.
The identified materials included: plant oils extracted from cypress, cedar, and pine trees, as well as resin from the mastic tree (pistacia), animal fats, and beeswax.
The excavation site of the embalming workshop near the Unas Pyramid and the Djoser Step Pyramid. (Photo: Susanne Beck/Saqqara Saite Tomb Project).
Archaeologists were also able to identify specific substances used to preserve different body parts; for example, mastic resin and castor oil were only used for the head.
The findings also indicate that the substance ancient Egyptians referred to as “antiu” was actually fragrant resin or incense, a mixture of various components, including oils from cedar, cypress, and animal fats.
Embalming substances with diverse origins from the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, or Africa. (Author: Nikola Nevenov).
The components used in the embalming technique are highly diverse and originate not only from Egypt but also from substances that seemingly came from the Mediterranean. Researchers also found natural dammar gum and elemi tree resin, which may have come from forests in Southeast Asia or tropical regions of Africa.
“These resins provide new evidence of intercontinental trade networks, raising questions about how and when Egyptians became acquainted with these resins and their understanding of their properties and relevance in embalming techniques,” said Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo (AUC).
