Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HEADS (Health, Embalming and Dating: Investigating Life and Death in Ancient Egypt)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-03-01 do 2026-02-28
In ancient Egypt, death was the beginning of a new life, and the body was the anchor for the soul. Complex mummification practices and burial rituals were needed to ensure a successful transition to the afterlife. These have so far mainly been explored through the study of texts and archaeological contexts, which are principally focused on the elites. However, thanks to scientific advances in the study of human remains, it is possible to make the life of underrepresented categories of Egyptian people come to the fore.
HEADS, through a collaboration with the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnographyof the University of Turin (MAET), offers the unique opportunity to study a relatively unexplored section of society, including adult and juvenile males and females from the low and middle classes of two key archaeological sites in Egypt (Asyût and Gebelein). Four methods will be employed to generate a clearer picture of their past and provide the MAET with new datasets: lipid residue analysis, palaeoproteomics, CT scanning, and radiocarbon dating. These will be applied to 1) identify the ingredients and procedures used in embalming and how these differ based on body parts, 2) characterise the health of the deceased, and 3) date the remains. Identification of biological sex and age-at death will further elucidate how gender and age influenced treatment in death and health.
In answering these questions, HEADS, will paint a detailed picture of mummification practices and the past health of an ancient lower- and middle-class Egyptian population and place these within a robust chronological framework, filling lacunae in our knowledge of the non-elite Egyptian community.
HEADS, through a collaboration with the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnographyof the University of Turin (MAET), offers the unique opportunity to study a relatively unexplored section of society, including adult and juvenile males and females from the low and middle classes of two key archaeological sites in Egypt (Asyût and Gebelein). Four methods will be employed to generate a clearer picture of their past and provide the MAET with new datasets: lipid residue analysis, palaeoproteomics, CT scanning, and radiocarbon dating. These will be applied to 1) identify the ingredients and procedures used in embalming and how these differ based on body parts, 2) characterise the health of the deceased, and 3) date the remains. Identification of biological sex and age-at death will further elucidate how gender and age influenced treatment in death and health.
In answering these questions, HEADS, will paint a detailed picture of mummification practices and the past health of an ancient lower- and middle-class Egyptian population and place these within a robust chronological framework, filling lacunae in our knowledge of the non-elite Egyptian community.
Four main activities were conducted during this project:
1. Radiocarbon dating - during the project, the PI learned how to prepare and analyze samples for radiocarbon dating. This was applied to 25 mummified individuals, and the results allow us to better reconstruct the temporal framework of the museum collection.
2. Lipid residue analysis – The PI extracted organic embalming material from the mummified individuals in order to understand how the embalming material was produced. The PI successfully identified various embalming treatments and the earliest use of specific resins.
3. CT scanning – In collaboration with a medical center, the PI CT scanned a selection of the mummified individuals. In the process of evaluating the scans, the PI learned basic human osteology. The data was used to more accurately assign the age-at-death and biological sex of individuals and identify embalming practices related to the removal of the brain.
4. Palaeoproteomics – While this did not play a core part of the project, the PI learned how to extract lipids and proteins simultaneously from one sample in order to maximize results output and minimize the destructive nature of sampling. The samples have yet to be analyzed by LC-MS/MS, but the results may help enhance our understanding of ancient embalming practices if proteins are preserved. In addition, the PI learned how to extract amelogenin from the teeth of deceased individual and use the data to identify biological sex when it is not possible to identify based on osteology.
1. Radiocarbon dating - during the project, the PI learned how to prepare and analyze samples for radiocarbon dating. This was applied to 25 mummified individuals, and the results allow us to better reconstruct the temporal framework of the museum collection.
2. Lipid residue analysis – The PI extracted organic embalming material from the mummified individuals in order to understand how the embalming material was produced. The PI successfully identified various embalming treatments and the earliest use of specific resins.
3. CT scanning – In collaboration with a medical center, the PI CT scanned a selection of the mummified individuals. In the process of evaluating the scans, the PI learned basic human osteology. The data was used to more accurately assign the age-at-death and biological sex of individuals and identify embalming practices related to the removal of the brain.
4. Palaeoproteomics – While this did not play a core part of the project, the PI learned how to extract lipids and proteins simultaneously from one sample in order to maximize results output and minimize the destructive nature of sampling. The samples have yet to be analyzed by LC-MS/MS, but the results may help enhance our understanding of ancient embalming practices if proteins are preserved. In addition, the PI learned how to extract amelogenin from the teeth of deceased individual and use the data to identify biological sex when it is not possible to identify based on osteology.
The project had the following core results:
1. The Marro collection was radiocarbon dated. This gives us a better temporal framework of the museum collection.
2. Lipid data reconstructs past embalming practices. The results show that embalming was a flexible process in which various ingredients were mixed together to create a material capable of preventing biological decay.
3. CT scan results add new layers to our understanding of the Marro collection. The heads, when removed from the body, were decontextualized. Now with the use of CT scanning, we can more confidently discuss who these individuals were in terms of age and gender.
4. When the CT scan results are paired with the lipid data, we also get more information on ancient Egyptian society. We see no variation based on age or biological sex, suggesting that embalming was egalitarian and something that everyone was entitled to.
1. The Marro collection was radiocarbon dated. This gives us a better temporal framework of the museum collection.
2. Lipid data reconstructs past embalming practices. The results show that embalming was a flexible process in which various ingredients were mixed together to create a material capable of preventing biological decay.
3. CT scan results add new layers to our understanding of the Marro collection. The heads, when removed from the body, were decontextualized. Now with the use of CT scanning, we can more confidently discuss who these individuals were in terms of age and gender.
4. When the CT scan results are paired with the lipid data, we also get more information on ancient Egyptian society. We see no variation based on age or biological sex, suggesting that embalming was egalitarian and something that everyone was entitled to.