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Ancient Egyptian Mummy Recipe Was Used 1500 Years Earlier

August 17, 2018
Credit: University of York

A study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science on Wednesday revealed that the original ancient Egyptian embalming recipe used to preserve bodies was used 1500 years earlier than previously assumed. A series of chemical tests done on a prehistoric (or predynastic) mummy in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, which dates back to 3700 – 3500 BC, showed that its embalming recipe is hugely similar to the embalming salve used to preserve King Tut’s body. The recipe includes plant oil, heated conifer resin, an aromic plant extract and plant gum and sugar mix. Dr Jana Jones, an expert on ancient Egyptian burial practices, noted that this is a ‘momentous contribution to our limited knowledge of the prehistoric period’. Dr Stephen Buckley, an archaeologist from the University of York, added that this implies that “we have a sort of Pan-Egyptian identity well before the formation of the world’s nation state in 3,100 BC”. For a long time, researches thought that prehistoric mummies were created by mere accident, yet this new evidence indicates that these ancient bodies were preserved for a purpose. Dr Buckley and his team began the search years ago…


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