Mummification was carried out five and a half thousand years ago.
An international team of researchers has carried out a chemical analysis of the mummy, whose age is estimated at 5.5-5.7 thousand years. Previously, it was assumed that mummification occurred naturally, but new data refuted this hypothesis. This was reported on the website of the University of York, whose staff participated in the work.
Since 1901, the mummy has been kept in the Egyptian Museum of Turin (Italy), but it has never been examined experimentally. Now archaeologists have managed to conduct a comprehensive analysis. Egyptologist Jana Jones from Macquarie University (Australia) spoke about the procedure:
“By combining the results of chemical analysis with visual examination of the body, as well as the results of genetic research, radiocarbon calculations and examination of tissue with a microscope, we have confirmed that this deliberate mummification took place about 3.6 thousand years BC. The man was between 20 and 30 years old when he died."
This work is based on a 2014 study that proved the complex composition of a substance used in the embalming of the ancient Egyptians. Now scientists have discovered the secret of the first formulas. To preserve the mummy, a cloth was used, which was impregnated with a mixture of vegetable oil, heated pine tree resin, aromatic plant extract and a gum based on resin or sugar.
The Mummy / University of York.
Archaeologist Stephen Buckley from York University shared his opinion on the study:
“We have seen similar recipes in our previous works. In addition, this product contains the same proportions of antibacterial substances as the later "real" mixtures. Our findings represent the literal embodiment of the predecessors of classical mummification, which became an icon of ancient Egyptian culture.
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Scientists noted that the mummy came from Upper Egypt, indicating a wider use of embalming than previously thought.
In July, a 30-ton black sarcophagus was excavated and discovered in Egypt. It contained three mummies, which had rotted due to water seeping inside.
Alexey Evglevsky