The scientists call the smell they reconstructed the “scent of eternity”. Led by Barbara Huber from the Max Plank Institute for Geoanthropology in Jena, the team analyzed balm residues found in the limestone jars in the tomb of the Egyptian noblewoman Senetnay. The substances were used in the mummification of this high-ranking woman of the 18th dynasty over 3000 years ago. One of the canopic vases can be seen in the picture.
The canopic jars had already been recovered by Howard Carter over a century ago from the ancient Egyptian tomb KV42 in the Valley of the Kings. Today they are exhibited in the Museum August Kestner in Hanover. Using special analysis techniques, such as gas and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, the researchers have now succeeded in decoding the ingredients of the balm: a mixture of beeswax, vegetable oil, fats, bitumen, a balsamic substance and the resin of a pine tree, probably a larch, as well as dammar or pistachio resin.
Dammar resin comes from deciduous trees of the phataceae family, which grow exclusively in Southeast Asian tropical forests. Should the resin be confirmed as an ingredient, it would indicate that the ancient Egyptians had access to this substance through long-distance trade with Southeast Asia almost 1000 years earlier than previously known. The pine resin used also very likely came from countries north of the Mediterranean. “The ingredients of the balm make it clear that the ancient Egyptians obtained materials from outside their empire very early on,” explains senior author Nicole Boivin from the MPI for Geoanthropology. “The number of imported ingredients also highlights Senetnay’s importance as a key member of the pharaoh’s inner circle.”
The research provides valuable insight into the ingredients of the embalming essences, since little information about them can be found in ancient Egyptian textual sources. In addition, studying the complex composition of the balm helps scientists better understand the intricate process of mummification.
Working closely with French perfumer Carole Calvez and sensory art historian Sofia Collette Ehrich, the scientists resurrected the scent of the balm based on their analytical findings. This will now be in the Moesgaard Museum in Denmark for visitors to smell. Barbara Huber explains: “The ‘Scent of Eternity’ represents more than just the smell of mummification. It embodies the great cultural, historical and spiritual importance of ancient Egyptian burial practices.”