Peer Reviewed: Embalming In The Old Kingdom Of Pharaonic Egypt

Abstract

here is controversy as to whether embalming was performed in the course of mummification of the deceased in the Old Kingdom of Pharaonic Egypt (2660-2180 B.C.). Our knowledge of conservation techniques used in the Old Kingdom is limited. In general, mummification was accomplished after dehydrating the body. To improve this mummification process, embalming was progressively used from the time of the Middle Kingdom onward.In an earlier study from the Tubingen laboratory, mummified alkaline phosphatase was successfully isolated from bone samples obtained from a Ptolemaic mummy (1). This mummy had been richly pretreated with phenolic and fungicidal compounds, which suppressed secondary microbial growth. We were very interested in ascertaining the limitations of preserving this zinc-magnesium enzyme in mummified Egyptian bone samples dating back to the Old Kingdom when no conservation, according to general knowledge, was assumed to have been done. Thus, we performed a study on the wellcharacterized, mummified skeleton of IDU II, secretary general of the pine wood trade office. This high-ranking official lived some 2200 years B.C. and was buried in a solid wood coffin. He was identified by the inscriptions on the outside of his thick, boarded coffin. The tomb of IDU II was unearthed in 1914 at Giza, and its contents were brought to the Pelizaeus Museum (Hildesheim, Germany) (http://mfah.org/ splendor/docs/highlts/hlldemus.html). The mummy (inventory No. 2639) con- Controversy exists overwhether embalming was already being performed in the Old Kingdom in the course of mummifying the deceased.

Organic residue analysis of Egyptian votive mummies and their research potential

“…316-24;Weser et al, 1998). Indeed, those identified in the treatment of votives were also used in human mummification (e.g.…”

The canopic jars of Rameses II: real use revealed by molecular study of organic residues

“…The latter was growing in abundance in northern Lebanon and was imported into Egypt under the control of a special official. Moreover, Weser et al (1998) described a mummified skeleton (Old Kingdom, 2660e2180 yr B.C., Pelizaeus Museum, Hildesheim, Germany, inventory n 2639) which would have belonged to a high-ranking official, general secretary of the conifer wood trade office, supervisor of the importations from Palestine. Consequently, the Egyptians had access to raw material from conifers like cedar, juniper and pine.…”

Trends in Use of Organic Balms in Egyptian Mummification Revealed Through Biomolecular Analyses

“…The balms of these mummies were found to contain fatty acids indicating the presence of a fat/oil and hydrocarbons, characteristic of beeswax, and terpenoids, indicating the use of a resin. The earliest evidence for artificial embalming was found by a German team who examined an Old Kingdom (c. 2663-2195 BC) male adult, Idu (Roemer-Pelizaeus Museum, Hildesheim, 2639;Koller et al 1998;Weser et al 1998). This mummy, however, was soaked in paraffin when excavated, evident in the high concentration of hydrocarbons present, which the author acknowledged would hinder subsequent chemical analyses.…”