Scientists in 1994 made a mummy and have now reverse engineered the process with the help of mummy makers. The podcast explores mummies, ancient embalming techniques, and a study where scientists recreated Egyptian mummification.
Scientists have reverse engineered the process of mummification by recreating Egyptian mummification using a donated cadaver, providing insights into the lost secrets of ancient Egyptian embalming.
The American Association of Anatomists dedicated an entire issue of their journal to mummies, covering various topics such as bog bodies, intestinal contents of a Korean mummy, and research with ancient human remains.
Deep dives
Research on Mummies in The Anatomical Record
The American Association of Anatomists has dedicated an entire issue of their journal, The Anatomical Record, to mummies. The papers in this issue cover various topics, including Northern European bog bodies, the intestinal contents of a Korean mummy, a case study on an Egyptian mummy with a prosthetic toe, and a code of ethics for research with ancient human remains.
Reconstructing Mummification Techniques
Some investigations aim to reconstruct mummification techniques used by ancient peoples. For example, researchers at the University of Maryland attempted to recreate Egyptian mummification in 1994 using a donated cadaver. By conducting various scans on the cadaver, they were able to determine its gender, likely age, and social class. The results were then compared to the original embalmers' observations, confirming the accuracy of the findings and providing insights into the lost secrets of ancient Egyptian embalming.
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Exploring Mummies and Ancient Embalming Techniques
In 1994 researchers made a mummy. Now scientists have reverse engineered the process to figure out how it's done, with the mummy makers still around to tell them how they did. Cynthia Graber reports