The scent of a mummy: Research discovers ancient Egyptian remains smell nice
Scent was an important consideration in the mummification process that used oils, waxes and balms to preserve the body and its spirit for the afterlife. The practice was largely reserved for pharaohs and nobility and pleasant smells were associated with purity and deities while bad odors were signs of corruption and decay.
Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: Researchers Analyze the Surprising Smells of Ancient Egyptian Mummies
The team’s approach could inspire museums to entertain visitors with odorous features such as smellscapes. In fact, the researchers now plan to reconstruct the smell of ancient mummified bodies in order to share this nontraditional approach to studying Egyptian mummies, as well as highlight an ancient olfactory heritage.
Ancient Egyptian mummies still smell nice, study finds
Researchers who examined nine mummies found that though there was some difference in the intensity of their odours, all could be described as "woody", "spicy" and "sweet". They say recreating the composition of the smells chemically will allow others to experience a mummy's whiff - and help to tell when the bodies inside may be starting to rot.
Once vassals to pharaohs, the Kushite kings of Nubia took control of Egypt for almost a century. Embracing Egyptian rituals, they created a culture that influenced both civilizations. The first ...
Her character's intricate eyeliner, traced all the way to her temples, became quickly iconic. While ancient-Egyptian eyeliner, called kohl, would have been used for cosmetics, it wasn't its only ...
Our character Hussein is based on the real-life ... style that they found in King Tut’s tomb. Pupils to research Ancient Egyptian art and artefacts to encompass this into their work.
Researchers who sniffed mummified remains in the name of science were greeted more with a blessing than a curse ...
The ruins of Upper Egypt wowed one of Napoleon's first savants "Very few of the scholars were antiquarians, those quintessentially eighteenth-century characters, mostly wealthy, who filled their ...
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