Woody, spicy, sweet

This is what ancient Egyptian mummies smell like, according to a study

The mummy of Pharaoh Merenre I(Bild: AFP)

Have you ever wondered what mummies smell like? A team of researchers from England has addressed this question. The answers from specially trained human "sniffers": "woody", followed by "spicy" and "sweet", "rancid" or "rotten".

A research group led by Emma Paolin from University College London (UCL) and the University of Ljubljana has investigated the typical odors of embalmed bodies for the first time, as reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The team analyzed nine mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo - most of which date back to the 1st and 2nd millennium BC - using various methods.

Egyptian archaeologists restore the coffin and mummy of King Tutankhamun at the Conservation Center of the Great Egyptian Museum in Cairo .(Bild: AFP )

Human "snoopers" in action
Among other things, specially trained human "sniffers" described the smells in terms of how intense and pleasant they were. The most common odor notes were "woody", followed by "spicy" and "sweet", but some of the mummies' exhalations were also classified as "rancid" or "spoiled".

Linen-wrapped mummies found in 2019 in burial chambers from the Ptolemaic period (323-30 BC).(Bild: AFP or licensors)

In addition, the molecules and compounds involved were measured using analytical techniques such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. This also enabled the team to determine whether these components originated from preservatives, microorganisms or pesticides.

In general, corpses in Ancient Egypt were once prepared with oils and resins from pine, cedar and juniper, among others, in order to preserve the body and soul in the afterlife.