Analysis of an egyptian mummy resin by mass spectrometry

Proefke, Mark L.; Rinehart, Kenneth L.

doi:10.1016/1044-0305(92)85036-j

Cited by 59 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In fact, bitumen originating from petroleum appears to have been put to only limited use in mummification (Aufderheide 2003). The FTIR results indicating that the resin from the Boscastle skull is similar in composition to modern pine sap are consistent with other published studies of Egyptian embalming materials (Lucas 1934;Proefke and Rinehart 1992;Koller et al 2005). Written sources (Herodotus, Diodorus, Pliny the Elder) repeatedly mention the use of cedar oil in embalming, although Aufderheide (2003) argues that widespread use of cedar was unlikely on the basis that cedar wood produces little resin, pointing out that pine species are a much more abundant source.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Written sources (Herodotus, Diodorus, Pliny the Elder) repeatedly mention the use of cedar oil in embalming, although Aufderheide (2003) argues that widespread use of cedar was unlikely on the basis that cedar wood produces little resin, pointing out that pine species are a much more abundant source. Proefke and Rinehart (1992) cite five species of coniferous trees native to the Levant, from whence resin was traded to Egypt. A small number of examples are known of resin being poured into cranial cavities multiple times (Hoffman and Hudgins 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummified cranium claimed to be that of a medieval execution victim

Smith

Kneller

Elliott

et al. 2011

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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This article presents a multidisciplinary analysis of a human skull with preserved soft tissue curated by a small museum in Boscastle, Cornwall, UK. The skull lacks a mandible and is coated in a black tar-like substance. Records left by a previous museum curator (now deceased) claimed the skull to be the head of a medieval execution victim. The skull was purportedly recovered from a London church that was destroyed during the Second World War where it had been kept in a carved oak box. If these details are correct, the skull would appear to have been venerated as a relic. The skull and box have been analysed using a range of techniques including computerised tomography, laser scanning, microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and radiocarbon dating. These analyses demonstrated the skull in fact to be that of an Egyptian mummy dating from the Ptolemaic period. Other instances have been noted of parts of Egyptian mummies being presented as European saintly relics, and the 'Boscastle skull' would appear to be an example of such. A wider point illustrated by the work presented here is that sufficient application of modern analytical techniques may reveal considerable information regarding human remains which otherwise have little or no provenance. This point strengthens arguments for the retention of such remains by curating institutions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummified cranium claimed to be that of a medieval execution victim

Smith

Kneller

Elliott

et al. 2011

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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“…Ainsi, l'association de ces deux rapports donne des informations sur l'origine des HAP (Perra et al, 2009, Khim et al, 1999 De plus, les pimaranes et l'abiétane rencontrés, montrent la présence de résine issue d'arbre de l'embranchement des Conifères (ou Pinophyta). Les pimaranes et abiétanes sont des composés sensibles au traitement thermique (Proefke et Rinehart, 1992, Colombini, 2009) et se dégradent notamment en rétène, différents méthyle et diméthyle rétènes, 18 nor-7-oxo-abiétane et méthyl-déhydroabiétate (Connan et nissenbaum, 2003). La présence des pimaranes, associée à l'absence des biomarqueurs type rétène, implique que les deux types de matériaux, résine et bitume, n'ont pas subi le même traitement thermique.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…La composition de ces baumes a été à la base de nombreuses analyses et spéculations au cours des xx e et xxi e siècles (Buckley et al, 2004 ;Lucas, 1962 ;Clark, 2006 ;Colombini et al, 2000 ;Proefke et Rinehart, 1992 ;Tchapla et al, 1999 ;Vieillescazes et Archier, 2002). Les avancées dans le domaine de l'analyse chimique ont permis de lever certains mystères concernant les formulations de ces mélanges complexes.…”

Section: Traitement De La Tête Et Excérébrationunclassified

Analyse de baumes issus de tête momifiée (Thèbes)

Ménager¹,

Perraud²,

Vieillescazes³

2013

archeosciences

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L’étude de trois baumes, prélevés sur un crâne momifié appartenant à la collection du musée des Confluences de Lyon, a pu être réalisée. Les analyses radiographiques et morphologiques ont mis en évidence une perte de substance occipito-pariétale, secondaire à un traumatisme crânien, ayant entraîné la mort du sujet. Ceci a donc permis de comparer les formulations des baumes intra- et extra-crâniens par spectrométrie Infrarouge à transformée de Fourier et chromatographie en phase gaz couplée à la spectrométrie de masse. Les baumes extra-crâniens présentent de fortes teneurs en Hydrocarbures Aromatiques Polycycliques et des traces de composés hopanes et stéranes, indiquant la présence d’un bitume pyrolysé, ainsi que des pimaranes impliquant l’utilisation d’une résine non chauffée provenant d’arbres de l’embranchement des Conifères (ou Pinophyta). L’échantillon prélevé dans l’endocrâne présente une composition très différente avec la présence d’huile ou graisse et d’une résine provenant d’arbres de l’embranchement des Conifères. Nous avons donc pu mettre en évidence une spécificité de technique (chauffage ou non) et de matériaux entre différentes localisations d’un même baume.

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“…Chemical analyses were performed using the same methods for human and animal mummies (6,7) to ensure detection of the range of balm components detected in earlier studies, namely beeswax, animal fats and plant oils, plant resins, petroleum bitumen, and essential oils (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic chemistry of balms used in the preparation of pharaonic meat mummies

Clark

Ikram

Evershed

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The funeral preparations for ancient Egyptian dead were extensive. Tomb walls were often elaborately painted and inscribed with scenes and objects deemed desirable for the afterlife. Votive objects, furniture, clothing, jewelry, and importantly, food including bread, cereals, fruit, jars of wine, beer, oil, meat, and poultry were included in the burial goods. An intriguing feature of the meat and poultry produced for the deceased from the highest levels of Egyptian society was that they were mummified to ensure their preservation. However, little is known about the way they were prepared, such as whether balms were used, and if they were used, how they compared with those applied to human and animal mummies? We present herein the results of lipid biomarker and stable carbon isotope investigations of tissues, bandaging, and organic balms associated with a variety of meat mummies that reveal that treatments ranged from simple desiccation and wrapping in bandages to, in the case of the tomb of Yuya and Tjuia (18th Dynasty, 1386-1349 BC), a balm associated with a beef rib mummy containing a high abundance of Pistacia resin and, thus, more sophisticated than the balms found on many contemporaneous human mummies.food mummies | pharaohs | Egypt | triterpenoids | fatty acyl lipids F ood to sustain the deceased in the afterlife was perhaps the most important item in a burial and has been found in interments from the earliest periods (3300 BC) to the latest (fourth century AD). The burial of King Tutankhamun (died c. 1323 BC) comprised 48 carved wooden cases containing a variety of joints from cattle and poultry (1, 2). Virtually all of the food found in these tombs was preserved through dehydration, save for the meat, as untreated meat would not last more than a few hours in the Egyptian heat. A solution to preserving meat in the burials would have been to preserve it in the same manner as human mummies. Indeed, "meat" or "victual" mummies have been found in many high status tombs (3). Meat mummies are but one type of animal mummy produced by the Egyptians, the others including votives, pets to be left in the tomb with their owner, and sacred animals, such as the Apis bull (1, 4, 5).Hundreds of examples of meat mummies are known from ancient Egypt (see appendix II in ref. 1). Until recently, these had been neglected as objects of study and as a consequence are poorly understood. Recent investigations have established that for the most part victual mummies are joints of meat or poultry prepared as if for eating, which are wrapped, encoffined, and placed in the tomb (1,4,5). SEM has shown that salt and natron were used for desiccation (1, 5). The question that remains is whether organic balms were applied? The presence of dark residues is consistent with the appearance of balms applied to human and animal mummies (6-12). The Cairo Museum and British Museum graciously provided us with samples of tissues and balms from several meat mummies (Table 1), allowing us to assess their chemical compositions and make comparisons with...

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Analysis of an egyptian mummy resin by mass spectrometry

Cited by 59 publications

References 13 publications

Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummified cranium claimed to be that of a medieval execution victim

Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummified cranium claimed to be that of a medieval execution victim

Analyse de baumes issus de tête momifiée (Thèbes)

Organic chemistry of balms used in the preparation of pharaonic meat mummies

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