Researchers received a noise of Egyptian mummies for science – they ‘provided by their pleasure’

London – At first, it sounds repulsive: smell the essence of an ancient corpse.

But researchers who enjoyed their curiosity in the name of science found that Egyptian mummies well preserved in fact very good smell.

“In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” said Cecilia Bembibre, director of research at the London University College Institute for sustainable heritage. â € œ we were surprised with their pleasure.â €

œ œwoody, â € œSpicyâ € and â € œSweetâ were the main descriptions from what looked more like a summer test than a smell of smell. Floral notes were also discovered, which can be from pine resin and juniper used in embalming.

The study published on Thursday in the American Chemical Society newspaper used both chemical analysis and a panel of human sniffers to evaluate aromas of nine midwives as old as 5,000 years that had been either in preservation or performances at the Egyptian Museum.

The researchers wanted to systematically study the smell of mummies because it has long been a fascinating topic for the public and the researchers alike, said Bembibre, one of the authors of reports.

Archaeologists, historians, conservatives and even fabrication writers have dedicated their subject work to the topic – for good reason.

The aroma was an important consideration in the mummification process used by oils, wax and balm to preserve his body and soul for the afterlife.

The practice was widely reserved for the Pharaohs and the nobility and the pleasant aromas were associated with purification and deities while bad fragrances were signs of corruption and decay.

Without sampling the mummies themselves, which would be invading, researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia were able to measure whether fragrances were coming from archaeological article, pesticides or products used to store waste, or from detection of second to mold, bacteria or microorganisms.

“We are all worried that we can find notes or suggestions of the rotting bodies, which was the case,” said Matija Stliä, professor of chemistry at the University of Ljubljana. “We were specifically concerned that there may be indications of germ degradation, but it was not so, which means that the environment in this museum is actually good enough to preserve.â €

The use of technical instruments to measure and measure the amount of air molecules emitted by sarcophagus to determine the storage state without touching midwives was like a sacred grail, said Stliä.

â € œit Potential tells us what the social class was a mummy and therefore reveals a lot of information about the mummified body that is important not only for conservatives but also to curators and archaeologists, he also said. “We believe that this approach is potentially of great interest to other types of museum collections.

Barbara Huber, a postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany which was not included in the study, said the findings provide essential data on compounds that can preserve or degrade mummified waste.

Information can be used to better protect ancient bodies for future generations.

“However, research also underlines a major challenge: the fragrances discovered today are not necessarily those from the mummification time,” Huber said. â € over thousands of years, evaporation, oxidation and even storage conditions have implied the original profile of the aroma.â €

Huber Author a study two years ago that analyzed waste from a jar that had contained mummified organs of a nobleman to identify the components of the balance, their origin and those discovered about traditions of tradition.

She then worked with a perfume to create an interpretation of the Balsama fragrance, known as â € œsent of Eternity, â € for an exhibition at the Moesgaard Museum in Denmark.

Current study researchers hope to do something similar, using their findings to develop “smselScapesâ” to artificially recreate the fragrances that discovered and improve experience for future museums.

â € museums are called white cubes, where you are asked to read, see, approach everything from a distance with your eyes, – said Bembibre. “Supporting mummified bodies through a glass reduces the experience because we will not smell them. We will not get used to the mummification process in an expertise way, which is one of the ways we understand and engage with the world.