Egyptian mummies embalmed in scented oils and waxes for their journey to the afterlife still smell rather nice today.
Centuries after they were painstakingly prepared for death, mummies still produce an odour described as woody, spicy and sweet.
But unfortunately for the Egyptians, who believed a ‘good’ smell after death brought people closer to the gods, the mummies’ aromas do now also have faint notes of cheese, vomit and urine.
These less pleasant odours come from the breakdown of the compounds used in the mummification process.
The smell of mummified bodies was deconstructed using four expert ‘sniffers’, who trained for three months to precisely identify individual smells, and have previously described the scent of historic paintings.
Researchers, wanting to understand how mummies smell after long periods in museum display cases and storage, collected samples of the odours emitted by nine of them at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The scientists separated out individual chemical compounds, which emerge at different temperatures as they are heated within a scientific instrument, then asked the sniffers to describe them.
Mainly, the mummies smelled woody, sweet and spicy, but they also gave off a whiff of incense and plants, which were used for preservation in Ancient Egypt.
Egyptian mummies embalmed in scented oils and waxes for their journey to the afterlife still smell rather nice today
Centuries after they were painstakingly prepared for death, mummies still produce an odour described as woody, spicy and sweet. But unfortunately for the Egyptians, who believed a ‘good’ smell after death brought people closer to the gods, the mummies’ aromas do now also have faint notes of cheese, vomit and urine
More offputtingly, the mummies were described as producing stale and mouldy smells.
But researchers were reassured to discover there was very little of the sometimes earthy, mushroom-like scent from fungi and bacteria, suggesting the bodies are still in a good state and the impressive embalming techniques of the Egyptians have stood the test of time.
Professor Matija Strlič, who led the study from University College London and the University of Ljubljana, said: ‘We know how mummies smelled when they were prepared, from discoveries of lists of embalming materials and recent archaeological finds.
‘But they smell different today, with the original mummification materials having degraded, and the additional smells of products used in conservation, along with pesticides to tackle insects which would otherwise eat away at the coffin and mummy.
‘These results could help give people a more complete view of history, because smell is an important part of that.’
The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, looked at mummies dating from between 1500BC – during the ‘New Kingdom’ period when the organs of the deceased began to be put in canopic jars – and 500AD, within the time of the Roman Empire.
Sniffers, who described the smells in terms of quality, intensity, and pleasantness, described odours of vomit, urine and cheese which were linked back to degraded mummification materials.
A mummy whose coffin was decorated with a gold mask, indicating elite social status, still retained the smell of materials used shortly after death.
Sniffers, who described the smells in terms of quality, intensity, and pleasantness, described odours of vomit, urine and cheese which were linked back to degraded mummification materials. Pictured: The Viscera Coffin of Tutankhamun
This suggests that greater care taken over mummification, for high-status people, will keep the smells of their time lingering for longer.
Mummies kept in display cases may be more pungent, the researchers note, because chemicals accumulate in the confined space.
But generally the sniffers agreed that the mummies had a ‘slightly pleasant’ smell, on average, and the odour was of a medium intensity.
Some of the fragrances described included pine, orange peel, cherry and geranium.
This mingled with vanilla and bitter almonds from the slowly decaying wooden coffins.
It is the first time that the smells of mummified bodies have been systematically studied combining a mix of instrumental and sensory techniques.
The research could enable museums to engage visitors by creating ‘smellscapes.’
Professor Ali Abdelhalim, co-author of the study and director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, said: ‘To the ancient Egyptians, mummification was an important mortuary practice aimed at preserving the body and soul for the afterlife through a detailed ritual of embalming of the deceased using oils, waxes and balms.
‘The practice evolved over time, and identifying different techniques and materials used offers insights into the era, location and socioeconomic status of the individual being mummified.’
Smell was a key consideration for the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process, as pleasant odours were associated with the bodies of deities and their purity, while foul odours were considered indications of a body’s corruption and decay.
