Chemists told what smelled in Egyptian tombs

Scientists decided to find out what smells could be smelled in an Egyptian tomb after burial rituals. To this end, they analyzed the ware from the tomb of the architect Kha and his wife Merit. Until 1906, the tomb remained intact, and it is still one of the best-preserved tombs of people who did not belong to the royal family.

For this, Illaria Degano, an analytical chemist from the University of Pisa (Italy), and her colleagues placed various artifacts from tombs, including sealed amphoras and open bowls filled with rotten remains of ancient food, in plastic bags. They were left for several days to collect volatile molecules, which they continue to secrete to this day. This made it possible to obtain data on odors without opening ancient vessels.

The team then used spectral analysis to determine the flavor components of each sample. They are

discoveredAncient smells reveal secrets of Egyptian tomb / Nature aldehydes and long chain hydrocarbons, characteristic of beeswax, trimethylamine, indicating dried fish, as well as other aldehydes common in fruits. In other words, the smells were predominantly sweet.

This is not the first time that aromatic compounds have revealed important information about ancient Egypt. In 2014, researchers extracted volatile molecules from 6,300 to 5,000-year-old linen bandages used to wrap bodies in the earliest known Egyptian cemeteries. The molecules confirmed the presence of embalming agents with antibacterial properties, showing that the Egyptians experimented with mummification some 1,500 years earlier than previously thought.

Smell analysis remains a rarely used aspect of archeology, but it allows us to learn more about the life and customs of the ancient Egyptians. Also, this information will be useful for museums: imitation of the characteristic smells of the era in the halls with artifacts can feel the past in a more emotional, personal way.