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Vast numbers of votive mummies were produced in Egypt during the Late Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, and Roman periods. Although millions remain in situ, many were removed and have ultimately entered museum collections around the world. There they have often languished as uncomfortable reminders of antiquarian practices with little information available to enhance their value as artefacts worthy of conservation or display. A multi-disciplinary research project, based at the University of Manchester, is currently redressing these issues. One recent aspect of this work has been the characterization of natural products employed in the mummification of votive bundles. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the well-established biomarker approach, analysis of 24 samples from 17 mummy bundles has demonstrated the presence of oils/fats, natural waxes, petroleum products, resinous exudates, and essential oils. These results confirm the range of organic materials employed in embalming and augment our understanding of the treatment of votives. In this first systematic initiative of its kind, initial findings point to possible trends in body treatment practices in relation to chronology, geography, and changes in ideology which will be investigated as the study progresses. Detailed knowledge of the substances used on individual bundles has also served to enhance their value as display items and aid in their conservation.

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YesResinous substances were highly prized in the ancient world for use in ritual contexts. Details gleaned\ud from classical literature indicate that they played a significant role in Roman mortuary rites, in treatment\ud of the body and as offerings at the tomb. Outside of Egypt, however, where research has shown that a\ud range of plant exudates were applied as part of the mummification process, resins have rarely been\ud identified in the burial record. This is despite considerable speculation regarding their use across the\ud Roman Empire.\ud Focusing on one region, we investigated organic residues from forty-nine late Roman inhumations\ud from Britain. Using gas chromatographyemass spectrometry and the well-attested biomarker approach,\ud terpenic compounds were characterized in fourteen of the burials analysed. These results provided direct\ud chemical evidence for the presence of exudates from three different plant families: coniferous Pinaceae\ud resins, Mediterranean Pistacia spp. resins (mastic/terebinth) and exotic Boswellia spp. gum-resins\ud (frankincense/olibanum) from southern Arabia or beyond. The individuals accorded this rite had all\ud been interred with a package of procedures more elaborate than the norm.\ud These findings illuminate the multiplicity of roles played by resinous substances in Roman mortuary\ud practices in acting to disguise the odour of decomposition, aiding temporary soft-tissue preservation and\ud signifying the social status of the deceased. Nevertheless, it was their ritual function in facilitating the\ud transition to the next world that necessitated transportation to the most remote outpost of the late\ud Roman Empire, Britain.R.C.B is supported by a PhD studentship from the Art and Humanities Research Council (43019R00209)