THE WASHINGTON POST – What did mummies smell like?
Better than you might expect, recent research published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests. Researchers have re-created a scent used in the mummification of an elite Egyptian woman circa 1450 BC, dubbing it the “scent of the eternity”.
Because information on the exact recipes used by ancient Egyptians during mummifications is scant, the researchers instead turned to residues in the now-empty urns that had contained the preserved organs of Senetnay, a noblewoman who watched over and breastfed the future pharaoh Amenhotep II during his infancy.
Using mass spectrometry, they studied the remaining traces of the balm that preserved – and scented – the organs during the mummification process.
The balms used were complex, the study says, and contained the resins of a pine-related plant the researchers believe was larch, resin from Pistacia or dammar trees, and degradation products from what they believe were animal fats and plant oils. Beeswax and bitumen were also used in the balms.
The two jars studied didn’t contain exactly the same mix of compounds; although they were similar, the one that once contained Senetnay’s lungs held an aromatic resin that wasn’t found in the jar that housed her liver. This could mean ancient Egyptians used different recipes for mummifying different organs.
“The ingredients in the balm make it clear that the ancient Egyptians were sourcing materials from beyond their realm from an early date,” senior researcher on the project Nicole Boivin said in a news release. “The number of imported ingredients in her balm also highlights Senetnay’s importance as a key member of the pharaoh’s inner circle.” Larch and dammar probably came from faraway places, suggesting that ancient Egyptian trading was more widespread than previously thought.
The researchers also worked with a perfumer and a sensory museologist to re-create the balms’ piney perfume for an upcoming museum exhibition at Denmark’s Moesgaard Museum. Their research was only possible because the urns were well preserved as technology evolved – an argument, they write, for “the importance of conserving cultural heritage under optimal conditions over the long term”. – Erin Blakemore
