Invited Science Week Lecture "The Art and Chemistry of Mummification"

    Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk

    Description

    Recent research on Egyptian human remains conducted by Research Fellow Dr Jana Jones at Macquarie University reveals that embalming preparations to assist in the preservation of bodies were developed as early as the late 5th millennium BC. This basic recipe continued in use well into the Dynastic age. Moreover, the use of conifer resin imported from the Levant indicates exchange mechanisms for this commodity have a very long history. Despite the fact that mummification techniques developed to a high level by the late second millennium BC, its roots are visible in burial practices centuries before the first pharaohs. Examination of a mummy in Sydney dated to c. 1200 BC reveals the extensive use of organic chemicals and other features which link this body to the use of such preparations from the very distant past.
    Period18 Aug 2018
    Event titleRoyal Australian Chemical Institite (RACI) Science Week Lecture
    Event typeOther
    LocationCanberra, AustraliaShow on map
    Degree of RecognitionRegional

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