This mummy is an adult male, curled up on the left side in a fetal position, about 6,000 years old. Previously, it was thought that it was naturally preserved in the desert environment of the buried land. However, the researchers said in a new research report that the first test of the remains showed that the mummy was preserved, which is the earliest known example of Egyptian mummy.
Further examination shows that ancient embalmers used a variety of ingredients to preserve the body, and the formula used was similar to that used. After 2500 years, mummification in Egypt reached its peak. [Photo: Amazing Mummies in Peru and Egypt]
Mummies were found in Egypt more than a century ago. Scientists report that the exact location is not clear, although people think it comes from Gaebelein, an ancient southern city on the Nile, and represents a person who was about 20 to 30 years old when he died. This mummy was acquired by the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy in 190 1 year. According to research, its preservation date is from 3700 BC to 3500 BC.
Neither the merchants selling mummies nor the museums displaying mummies have carried out any protection treatment on these fragile remains, "so this provides a unique opportunity for analysis, the researchers wrote:
After antiseptic treatment, these remains were wrapped in linen and placed in a shallow grave surrounded by funerary objects. (Raffaella Bianucci, University of Turin) Before KDSP, KDSP, KDSP, scientists analyzed the fragments of the mummy's funeral from another place, which were about the same period as the mummies in Turin, and they found traces of compounds suggesting antiseptic treatment. But this Turin mummy provides a rare opportunity for researchers to look for similar evidence on a well-preserved corpse. Jana Jones, a researcher in the Department of Ancient History at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and the lead author of the study, said at a news conference on Tuesday (August 14) that researchers extracted flax fragments from the mummy's trunk and right wrist and the woven basket buried next to the corpse. Vegetable oil and animal fat infiltrated into ancient fabrics, and scientists pieced together an antiseptic "formula" from the compounds they found, including sugar or gum, coniferous resin, aromatic plant extracts and antibacterial agents. Studies have shown that the proportion of these ingredients is similar to that of sesame oil used in the dynasty.
The mummies in Turin are very old, even before the written language (the earliest written evidence can be traced back to around 3400 BC). Jones said at the briefing that it is likely that the anti-corrosion instructions were preserved orally and passed down from generation to generation.
Jones said that it not only proved that prehistoric Egyptians embalmed the dead, but also put this process in more than one place: the funeral package described by scientists on 20 14 was found about 124 miles (200 kilometers) away from the possible burial place of Turin mummies.
After delaying the beginning of anti-corrosion work in Egypt for more than a thousand years, Jones said that the new discovery provided attractive clues for the social behavior, religious beliefs and scientific knowledge of prehistoric communities in this area. She explained:
"They have a good belief in the afterlife, and they want their bodies to be preserved." They also know a lot about the science of preserving corpses.
These findings were published online in the Journal of Archaeology on Wednesday (August 15).
Original articles on life sciences.