Chemical residue found in the jars allowed researchers to identify mixtures of fragrant or antiseptic oils, tars and resins, according to the study. This, matched with writing inscribed on the exterior of the containers, provided them with valuable new details about the mummification process, the researchers explained.
“The inscribed vessels can now be connected with specific materials and mixtures of materials that were unknown before,” Susanne Beck, one of the study’s authors, told NBC News via email Thursday.
She added that “very exotic products” like the Dammar tree resin and Elemi oil, “which are only native to rainforests in Asia and partially Africa,” had also been discovered in the jars.
Inscriptions on the jars, along with the chemical analysis of their contents, also helped researchers find Egyptian terms, like “Antiu” and “Sefet,” for specific mixtures, the researchers wrote in the study.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
