egyptian papyri, embalming, mummification, new discoveries

Ancient Egyptian Manual Reveals New Details About Mummification

Based on a manual recently discovered in a 3,500-year-old medical papyrus, University of Copenhagen Egyptologist Sofie Schiødt has been able to help reconstruct the embalming process used to prepare ancient Egyptians for the afterlife. It is the oldest surviving manual on mummification yet discovered. In ancient Egypt, embalming was considered a sacred art, and knowledge ...

March 9, 2021

Troy Oakes

Inks Containing Lead Likely Used as Drier on Ancient Egyptian Papyri

Analyzing 12 ancient Egyptian papyri fragments with X-ray microscopy, University of Copenhagen researchers were surprised to find previously unknown lead compounds in both red and black inks and suggest they were used for their drying properties rather than as a pigment. A similar lead-based “drying technique” has also been documented in 15th-century European painting, and ...

November 26, 2020

Troy Oakes