Embalming was used in Old Kingdom

Our knowledge of the conservation techniques used in the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt is limited. Examinations of a clavicle fragment of the mummy of Idu II, secretary general of the pine wood trade office (2150 ± 50 BC), revealed saturation with a wealth of sodium and wood tar compounds, many of wh...

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Published inNature (London) Vol. 391; no. 6665; pp. 343 - 344
Main Authors Koller, Johann, Baumer, Ursula, Kaup, Yoka, Etspüler, Hedwig, Weser, Ulrich
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Nature Publishing Group 22.01.1998
Subjects
Acids
Alkaline Phosphatase - analysis
Bone and Bones - enzymology
Bones
Chromatography
Egypt, Ancient
Embalming - history
Embalming - methods
Enzymes
History of medicine
History, Ancient
Humans
Microbial contamination
Mummies
Phosphatase
Sodium
Wood
Germany
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Summary:Our knowledge of the conservation techniques used in the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt is limited. Examinations of a clavicle fragment of the mummy of Idu II, secretary general of the pine wood trade office (2150 ± 50 BC), revealed saturation with a wealth of sodium and wood tar compounds, many of which were highly antiseptic as no microbial contamination was noticed. This pretreatment had ensured the preservation of bone alkaline phosphatase in an enzymically and immunologically active form. This extends the use of embalming to one thousand years earlier than previously thought.
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ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/34809