18-02-2025
Sweet: Study reveals what Egyptian mummies smelled like
Ancient Egyptian mummies mostly smelled "woody,""spicy" and "sweet," according to research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on Thursday.
Researchers analysed nine mummified bodies from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, most of which date from the 1st and 2nd millennium BC,using a combination of tools and sensory techniques, in what they said is the first study of its kind.
"The smell of mummified bodies has for years attracted significant interest from experts and the general public, but no combined chemical and perceptual scientific study has been conducted until now," said lead author Professor Matija Strli from UniversityCollege London (UCL) and the University of Ljubljana.
"This ground-breaking research really helps us better plan conservation and understand the ancient embalming materials. It add sanother layer of data to enrich the museum exhibition of mummified bodies."
The researchers deployed a panel of trained human "sniffers" tasked with describing the smells' quality, intensity and pleasantness as well as measuring the molecules and compounds involved using methods such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.
This enabled the team to determine whether these components originated from preservatives, microorganisms or pesticides, for example.
The experts qualified the remains mostly as "hedonically pleasant with 'balsamic' descriptors ('heavy', 'sweet', 'woody' odors),"according to the study.
The smells were described as "woody" in 78% of the case studies,"spicy" in 67%, and "sweet" in 56%, while "incense-like" and "stale,rancid" got 33% each.
UCL's Dr Cecilia Bembibre said the research highlights the"importance of using our senses to understand the past."
Mummification in ancient Egypt normally involved treating the body with oils and resins, including those of pine, cedar and juniper, to preserve the body and soul in the afterlife and give it a pleasant smell. —dpa
