Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists Abstracts of Papers

XICE – Abstract of Papers
at the beginning of the Twelfth Dynasty. The early role of Mut within Thebes can so
far only be tracked into the early Eighteenth Dynasty, but even these researches have
suggested that the goddess was less the consort of Amun than the leonine uraeus
goddess until the early Eighteenth Dynasty. Evidence for this derives both from
architectural and inscription sources, but also from emerging data concerning the
development of the Karnak precincts themselves. This discussion will focus on
illustrating the points made here and on any new material that is found in early 2008.
Black Magic in the Black Land: symbolism, system or synergy?
Stephen A. Buckley, Joan Fletcher, Don Brothwell
It is acknowledged that artificial mummification was an important part of ancient
Egyptian culture, at least for the elite. The sacred nature of the process is also alluded
to in religious texts. Yet certain aspects of the ‘art of Anubis’ remain so poorly
understood, a true understanding of the whole burial ritual and its real significance for
the ancient Egyptians themselves has never been possible. Although it is
acknowledged that various plant, animal and mineral products were utilised in a
variety of different ways, and that they changed over time according to such factors as
technological development, expansion of trade routes and geopolitical changes, cost
also being a factor at any given period, little attention has been paid to the
identification of these substances or their practical and indeed ritual role.
Yet mummification clearly combined practical considerations of body
preservation with ritualistic concerns, and rather than an ‘either/or’ situation, the
practical and symbolic worked together. Clearly a sound understanding of the precise
materials and methods the Egyptians employed in mummification could therefore
provide considerable insight into their religious and political affiliations, foreign
relations, levels of technology and scientific knowledge. The current over reliance on
simple generic terms such as “resin” and “bitumen” (though, notably, not ‘wax’
despite its widespread use!) is therefore distinctly unhelpful, particularly when
applied with little or no consideration of any role such products may have played in
the preparation of the dead, whether on a practical level, a sacred level or a
combination of both.
Using a “biomarker” approach, i.e. components characteristic of the original
substance and resistant to degradation, combined with gas chromatography-mass
spectrometry (GC/MS), we have been able to characterise and identify a range of
organic materials employed in Egyptian mummification, the results revealing notable
differences in the use and nature of these chemical agents depending on their
proximity to the body. Their selection and application also seems to reflect the extent
of their preservative qualities, revealing a highly developed understanding of their
specific properties, in addition to any religious or political symbolism these
substances might have carried. Perhaps most notably, our work has located a source
of natural bitumen previously unidentified in Egyptian mummification, its presence
on one specific body suggesting a practical, religious, and political motivation for its
application during a particularly turbulent time in Egypt’s history.
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