Scientists have recreated the "scent of eternity" used to mummify corpses 3500 years ago
Scientists have recreated the scent of a balm used during the mummification of a high-ranking Egyptian woman more than 3,500 years ago. Senetney's mummified organs were placed in jars in the royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
According to theguardian,the noble woman's name was Senetnay, and her remains were unearthed in 1900 by Howard Carter, who was called the "Tutankhamun Tomb Raider."
Previous studies have shown how Senetney played the role of nurse to the infant who would later be crowned Pharaoh Amenhotep II and who received the gracious title of "King's Jewel."
A team of scientists led by Barbara Huber of the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology has used sophisticated analysis to identify the ingredients of embalming agents used in ancient times. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
The researchers extracted six samples of the embalming compound from two separate jars - the one that contained Senetna's lungs and liver, which are kept in the August Kestner Museum in Germany. Analysis methods used included gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, high temperature gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
In addition to beeswax, animal fats, vegetable oils, bitumen, and resins from trees such as pine and larch, the researchers were able to select ingredients that would give the balm its "signature flavor." In the container where the woman's remains were stored, they found coumarin (which has a vanilla flavor) and benzoic acid.
Senetney's lungs were embalmed using larixol, which is derived from larch resin, and damar, a substance derived from trees that are widespread in India and Southeast Asia.
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"The ingredients of the balm show that the ancient Egyptians have long sourced materials from outside their kingdom," said senior researcher Professor Nicole Boivin. According to her, the number of imported ingredients in the balm also emphasizes the importance of Seneteny as a key member of the pharaoh's inner circle.
The scientists attached particular importance to damar, which was added during mummification. It indicates that the ancient Egyptians established trade routes with Southeast Asia almost 1000 years earlier than previously thought.
Working with a specialist perfumer and a sensory museum worker, the team was able to bottle the scent of the balm. It was named "The Scent of Eternity" and will be presented at the Moesgaard Museum in Denmark so that visitors can "feel the scent of antiquity for themselves."
As a reminder, scientists have come up with a new cause of death for Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
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