Ichihara Posted August 13, 2014 #1 Share Posted August 13, 2014 The harsh environment definitely encouraged preservation, and may have even inspired mummification practices in the first place. But the new research, detailed today (Aug. 13) in the journal PLOS ONE, suggests Egyptians at that time were cooking up embalming mixtures made from animal fats, as well as tree resins and plant extracts that contained powerful antibacterial elements. http://www.livescience.com/47335-oldest-egyptian-mummy-making.html http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0103608 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennu Posted August 13, 2014 #2 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Interesting. Thanks for sharing this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmt_sesh Posted August 13, 2014 #3 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Similar practices were noted in predynastic burials at Nekhen (Hierakonpolis), but this potentially pushes back certain burial traditions even farther in the Nile Valley. The fact that pine resins were used also underscores an established trade practice with prehistoric Syro-Palestine, from which the pine source most likely originated. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpiosonic Posted August 14, 2014 #4 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Very interesting, Thanks. From second link: ".......Characteristic artifacts (pottery, stone palettes), and the location of the tombs in the cemeteries, provide sound archaeological evidence for the relative dating of the burials. The spin direction of the yarn from which the textiles were woven is also a contributing factor. A major technological change in the direction of spin from the ‘Z’ direction to the ‘S’ occurred in the early Predynastic period; extant Egyptian textiles from early Naqada IB (c. 3700/3600 BC) onward are woven from ‘S’ twist yarn." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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