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Ancient smells reveal secrets of Egyptian tomb

Jars contained fish, fruit and beeswax balm to sustain the tomb’s residents in the afterlife.
  1. Colin Barras
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More than 3,400 years after two ancient Egyptians were laid to rest, the jars of food left to nourish their eternal souls still smell sweet. A team of analytical chemists and archaeologists has analysed these scents to help identify the jars’ contents1. The study shows how the archaeology of smell can enrich our understanding of the past — and perhaps make museum visits more immersive.

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Nature 604, 414 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00903-z

References

  1. La Nasa, J. et al. J. Archaeol. Sci. 141, 105577 (2022).

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  2. Jones, J. et al. PLoS ONE 9, e103608 (2014).

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