2,700-year-old mummy gives first molecular evidence of aloe in Egyptian embalming

2,700-year-old mummy gives first molecular evidence of aloe in Egyptian embalming

2,700-year-old mummy gives first molecular evidence of aloe in Egyptian embalming

Researchers at Marburg University in Germany have found the first molecular evidence that aloe was used in ancient Egyptian embalming. Chemical traces linked to the aloe plant were found in material from a mummified skull dated to the eighth century BCE, about 2,700 years ago, in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Aloe compounds appeared in only two of the 24 objects examined, so the team says the finding does not show aloe was a standard embalming ingredient.

Researchers at Marburg University in Germany have found the first molecular evidence that aloe was used in ancient Egyptian embalming. Chemical traces linked to the aloe plant were found in material from a mummified skull dated to the eighth century BCE, about 2,700 years ago, in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Aloe compounds appeared in only two of the 24 objects examined, so the team says the finding does not show aloe was a standard embalming ingredient.

Researchers at Marburg University in Germany have found the first molecular evidence that aloe was used in ancient Egyptian embalming. Chemical traces linked to the aloe plant were found in material from a mummified skull dated to the eighth century BCE, about 2,700 years ago, in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Aloe compounds appeared in only two of the 24 objects examined, so the team says the finding does not show aloe was a standard embalming ingredient.