How Did Egyptians Perform Mummification? Researchers Reveal Mysterious Embalming Recipe

Mummies have stayed remarkably preserved even after thousands of years. Considering the outputs of their mummification, ancient Egyptians were well-familiar with the substances that would effectively prevent decay.

Now, the Daily Mail reports how specialists have uncovered the ancient Egyptian embalming recipe that made these old mummies still look good.

Ancient Egyptian Embalming Recipe

The recipes included juniper, beeswax, and tree resin, among others. The Daily Mail also notes how some of these substances were imported from Southeast Asia and harbored vital antibacterial characteristics.

Science Alert reports that this special embalming recipe from ancient Egypt was uncovered by analyzing ceramic residues that were spotted within an ancient embalming workshop. This workshop was included in a full burial complex within Saqqara. It has been dated back to 664-525 BCE.

More than that, specialists were even able to link various ingredients to specific body parts that they were applied to.

The residues were examined through biomolecular methodologies. Several vessels, notably, remained intact. They had the content names, but more than that, there were even directions on how to use the substances.

Susanne Beck, an archaeologist from the University of Tübingen, notes how they have known several of these ingredient names ever since the writings got deciphered. However, until this recent discovery, they could only guess the substances represented by each name.

The researchers examined 31 recovered bessels to see the ingredients of the embalming material. They utilized gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for this.Their study was included in the Nature publication.

Animal Fat, Cedar Oil, Juniper, and More Ingredients

The results of their analysis were quite detailed, interesting, and unexpected. Leader and archaeologist Maxime Rageot notes how the substance that was labeled antiu used to be deciphered as frankincense and myrrh. However, this was actually a mixture of various substances.

Such ingredients were cypress or juniper oil, cedar oil, and animal fat. The mixture, however, could have varied from time to time and place to place.

The researchers also looked into the inscribed instructions and compared them with the content in order to see the procedures for using the mixtures. The directions included things like using the mixture for embalming and adding it to the person's head.

There were eight vessels that had directions for treating the head of the deceased. Within these vessels were castor oil and pistachio resin.

Both burseraceae resin and animal fat were used for handling the decaying body's smell. Beeswax and animal fat were also used for skin treatment during the third day. Tars or tree oils, with animal fat or plant oil, could also be used for treating the bandages that cover the mummy.

Source of Ingredients Shed Light on Global Trade

Such mixtures also shed light on the global trade situation during this period. Cedar oil, bitumen, and pistachio could have all been sourced from Levant in the Eastern Mediterranean shore. However, dammar resin and elemi are from farther areas. Elemi grows in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. However, the dammar-producing tree is native to Southeast Asia.

Thus, the researchers note the possibility of both resins traveling through a shared route toward Egypt. This suggests that the ancient Egyptians exerted much effort to source their ingredients for embalming. This could have also significantly helped in establishing networks for international trade.

Check out more news and information on Ancient Egypt in Science Times.