Has cocaine been found in Egyptian mummies?

[WorldMysteries]

Traces of cocaine have been detected in the hair of certain Egyptian mummies. One notable example is Henut Taui, an Ancient Egyptian priestess from the 21st Dynasty. Her remains were mummified, and she is often referred to as one of the “cocaine mummies.” Henut Taui served as a priestess and chantress in the temple of Amun at Thebes. After her death, her body was embalmed and buried in the Deir el-Bahari necropolis. German toxicologist Svetlana Balabanova discovered cocaine, hashish, and nicotine on her hair, along with other mummies in the museum. This finding is significant because, at the time, cocaine and nicotine were believed to be exclusive to the Americas. However, subsequent analyses have not fully replicated Balabanova's results, leading to some controversy. It's possible that contamination occurred after the mummies' discovery, but the discovery still raises intriguing questions about ancient trade networks and connections between different cultures.

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henut_Taui

 https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/researchers-in-museums/2019/04/20/cocaine-mummies-the-search-for-narcotics-in-historic-collections/

 https://www.gaia.com/article/the-cocaine-mummies-henut-tauis-ancient-global-trade-network

[Thanos5150]

Do you think a decades old subject like this hasn't been discussed in one form or another ad nauseum over the years? But its new to you so instead of using the UM search function you start anew citing Wikipedia, a blog, and a Gaia "article". Your posting history is a bit odd. 

[Piney]

1 hour ago, WorldMysteries said:

Traces of cocaine have been detected in the hair of certain Egyptian mummies. One notable example is Henut Taui, an Ancient Egyptian priestess from the 21st Dynasty. Her remains were mummified, and she is often referred to as one of the “cocaine mummies.” Henut Taui served as a priestess and chantress in the temple of Amun at Thebes. After her death, her body was embalmed and buried in the Deir el-Bahari necropolis. German toxicologist Svetlana Balabanova discovered cocaine, hashish, and nicotine on her hair, along with other mummies in the museum. This finding is significant because, at the time, cocaine and nicotine were believed to be exclusive to the Americas. However, subsequent analyses have not fully replicated Balabanova's results, leading to some controversy. It's possible that contamination occurred after the mummies' discovery, but the discovery still raises intriguing questions about ancient trade networks and connections between different cultures.

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henut_Taui

 https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/researchers-in-museums/2019/04/20/cocaine-mummies-the-search-for-narcotics-in-historic-collections/

 https://www.gaia.com/article/the-cocaine-mummies-henut-tauis-ancient-global-trade-network

The Columbian Exchange negates any trade network between the Americas, Europe and the Middle East and Gaia likes to twist the words of academics or outright put ones in their mouths.

And like Lee wrote this horse is long dead, buried and decomposed to dust.

[Mark_C]

2 hours ago, WorldMysteries said:

It's possible that contamination occurred after the mummies'  discovery

Possible but very unlikely I'd say. 

[Piney]

9 minutes ago, Mark_C said:

Possible but very unlikely I'd say. 

What's your explanation? 

[Mark_C]

3 minutes ago, Piney said:

What's your explanation? 

I have an opinion not an explanation. If they found cocaine, hashish and nicotine in the mummies hair it was more than likely due to that person consuming it while they were alive. What's the reason for believing otherwise ? 

[Piney]

1 minute ago, Mark_C said:

I have an opinion not an explanation. If they found cocaine, hashish and nicotine in the mummies hair it was more than likely due to that person consuming it while they were alive. What's the reason for believing otherwise ? 

Something called the "Columbian Exchange" in the Americas. 2/3rds of the indigenous people died from diseases and 1/2 of the plants and animals died off and were replaced by invasive species after 1492.

That in itself negates any pre-Columbian trade network across the Atlantic. 

[Mark_C]

2 minutes ago, Piney said:

Something called the "Columbian Exchange" in the Americas. 2/3rds of the indigenous people died from diseases and 1/2 of the plants and animals died off and were replaced by invasive species after 1492.

That in itself negates any pre-Columbian trade network across the Atlantic. 

We have a global trade network today yet we still have the problem of foreign / tropical diseases and invasive species. You seem to be suggesting that if the ancient Egyptians had made contact with the south Americans 2500 years ago then they'd be immune to those things. Also the plants in question can grow in any mountainous tropical region. 

[Piney]

25 minutes ago, Mark_C said:

You seem to be suggesting that if the ancient Egyptians had made contact with the south Americans 2500 years ago then they'd be immune to those things.

Exactly, and there would be foreign plants in the pre-contact pollen record. 

[Hawken]

Just think when future archeologist exhumes our bodies. They'll find all kinds of drugs. Opioids, Anti-inflammatories, Cannabis (etc)

[Mark_C]

3 minutes ago, Piney said:

Exactly, and there would be foreign plants in the pre-contact pollen record. 

The covid outbreak shows that the threat from foreign diseases doesn't go away because of trade relations, it's largely been circumvented because of our advances in medical science.  Idk about historical pollen records, but if you take heroin for example, it's trafficked all over the world mainly from Afghanistan but how many of those countries will have Afghan plants in their pollen core results, probably not all . 

Aside from plants, architectural influences do seem to have made their way from Egypt to South America.   

[Mark_C]

24 minutes ago, Hawken said:

Just think when future archeologist exhumes our bodies. They'll find all kinds of drugs. Opioids, Anti-inflammatories, Cannabis (etc)

Thats a good point, if the people in the past did have access to technology we might find clues about as yet 'un-rediscovered' drugs in their remains. 

[Piney]

Just now, Mark_C said:

Aside from plants, architectural influences do seem to have made their way from Egypt to South America.   

Errrr...No, they didn't. The construction methods are completely different and a pyramid is a obviously the most stable shape

2 minutes ago, Mark_C said:

The covid outbreak shows that the threat from foreign diseases doesn't go away because of trade relations, it's largely been circumvented because of our advances in medical science. 

And Covid was actually killing more NAs because of less zoonotic resistance. Those diseases never existed in the Americas prior to 1492 at all. 

 

28 minutes ago, Hawken said:

Just think when future archeologist exhumes our bodies. They'll find all kinds of drugs. Opioids, Anti-inflammatories, Cannabis (etc)

We're finding them in our waste water now.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

14 minutes ago, Mark_C said:

. 

Aside from plants, architectural influences do seem to have made their way from Egypt to South America.   

“They have pyramids, therefore they’re the same culture/connected”. 
Well, my neighbour’s dog has wheels, therefore it’s a car. My 2 year old nephew speaks in incomplete and occasionally incomprehensible sentences, therefore he’s President of the United States. 
My dude, there’s only so many ways we can stack rocks.

[Windowpane]

27 minutes ago, Mark_C said:

...  architectural influences do seem to have made their way from Egypt to South America.   

 

There are other explanations for the superficial similarities:

Quote

.. the similarities between the pyramid-building culture of the Egyptians and the Mayans were the result of fundamental aspects to statehood ideologies and functions based around secular, economic power with the elite at the top looking down upon those below ...

 

[Mark_C]

10 minutes ago, Piney said:

Errrr...No, they didn't. The construction methods are completely different and a pyramid is a obviously the most stable shape

The construction methods in ancient Egypt aren't all the same either. Compare the similarities of the dimension between the great pyramid and the pyramid of the sun. They're almost identical except the GP is twice the height. 

	Great Pyramid	Pyramid of the Sun
Height	481.3949....feet	233.5....feet
Base
Perimeter	3023.16...feet	2932.8...feet
Side	755.79...feet	733.2…feet
½ Side	377.895...feet	366.6...feet
Angle of slope	51.827...degrees	32.494...degrees

 

27 minutes ago, Piney said:

Those diseases never existed in the Americas prior to 1492 at all. 

The diseases that we took there were smallpox, measles, mumps, chickenpox and maleria. Smallpox originated in either Egypt or India 3000 years ago, however its not something we develop an immunity to so therefor if the ancient Egyptians had visited and infected them with it then the modern populations would still be susceptible. Measles originated in the middle east in the 11th century, the earliest known case of mumps is from China in 640 BC and its not normally fatal, Chicken pox also has a very low fatality rate, it's origins are disputed. Google tells me that maleria has been in South America for 10000 - 25000 years so Idk why it makes it onto the list of diseases transferred during the Columbian exchange. 

 

So to summarise , if they ancient Egyptians had traded with the South Americans then the South Americans wouldn't have been afforded any kind of immunity from the diseases that were thought to have devasted their populations further on. 

[Mark_C]

38 minutes ago, Sir Wearer of Hats said:

My dude, there’s only so many ways we can stack rocks

Yes, but you seem to be supporting the idea that there's only 1 way to stack rocks. 

[Piney]

Just now, Mark_C said:

The construction methods in ancient Egypt aren't all the same either. Compare the similarities of the dimension between the great pyramid and the pyramid of the sun. They're almost identical except the GP is twice the height. 

	Great Pyramid	Pyramid of the Sun
Height	481.3949....feet	233.5....feet
Base
Perimeter	3023.16...feet	2932.8...feet
Side	755.79...feet	733.2…feet
½ Side	377.895...feet	366.6...feet
Angle of slope	51.827...degrees	32.494...degrees

This means nothing.

Just now, Mark_C said:

The diseases that we took there were smallpox, measles, mumps, chickenpox and maleria. Smallpox originated in either Egypt or India 3000 years ago, however its not something we develop an immunity to so therefor if the ancient Egyptians had visited and infected them with it then the modern populations would still be susceptible. Measles originated in the middle east in the 11th century, the earliest known case of mumps is from China in 640 BC and its not normally fatal, Chicken pox also has a very low fatality rate, it's origins are disputed. Google tells me that maleria has been in South America for 10000 - 25000 years so Idk why it makes it onto the list of diseases transferred during the Columbian exchange. 

 

The Americas had no zoonotic diseases whatsoever prior to 1492.

And chicken pox and measles which are zoonotic did and still does kill Native Americans. Smallpox was the biggest killer though. 

Just now, Mark_C said:

So to summarise , if they ancient Egyptians had traded with the South Americans then the South Americans wouldn't have been afforded any kind of immunity from the diseases that were thought to have devasted their populations further on. 

The Egyptians had domesticated animals, therefore they had zoonotic diseases. 

 

 

[Piney]

29 minutes ago, Windowpane said:

 

There are other explanations for the superficial similarities:

 

The Midwestern NA Sun Cults built mounds for the aristocracy for the same reason.

[Mark_C]

29 minutes ago, Windowpane said:

the similarities between the pyramid-building culture of the Egyptians and the Mayans were the result of fundamental aspects to statehood ideologies and functions based around secular, economic power with the elite at the top looking down upon those below

Sure they were oriented around the elites I can believe that, but that doesn't explain how they were able to cut, move and precisely place massive stones. 

[Piney]

8 minutes ago, Mark_C said:

Google tells me

🙄

[Mark_C]

8 minutes ago, Piney said:

The Americas had no zoonotic diseases whatsoever prior to 1492

the main parasite that transmits malaria in Brazil and other South American countries, may have arrived on the continent with the first human migrations from South Asia and Australia between 25,000 and 10,000 years ago, according to a study by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo

[Antigonos]

12 minutes ago, Piney said:

🙄

Cocaine is a helluva drug.

[Piney]

6 minutes ago, Mark_C said:

the main parasite that transmits malaria in Brazil and other South American countries, may have arrived on the continent with the first human migrations from South Asia and Australia between 25,000 and 10,000 years ago, according to a study by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo

I know that. I have Denisovan genes and genetic traits from them compliments of my father. But Malaria isn't zoonotic from animal husbandry, nor did I mention it. 

[Mark_C]

4 minutes ago, Piney said:

But Malaria isn't zoonotic from animal husbandry, nor did I mention it. 

You said ' The Americas had no zoonotic diseases whatsoever prior to 1492 ' 

You also said ' Something called the "Columbian Exchange" in the Americas. 2/3rds of the indigenous people died from diseases '  

 

Malaria is on the list of disease supposedly transferred from Europeans in the Columbian exchange.