You’d probably assume that dead bodies would smell like, well, dead bodies after thousands of years. But researchers recently revealed that, contrary to popular belief, mummies actually smell…pretty good. (Well-preserved mummies, that is.)
The exact descriptions researched used were “woody,” “spicy,” and “sweet,” which are basically the polar opposite of what one would expect.
“In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” said Cecilia Bembibre, one of the report authors and director of research at University College London’s Institute for Sustainable Heritage. “We were surprised at the pleasantness of them.”
The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, specifically focused on nine mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The bodies are up to 5,000 years old.
But, likely thanks to the mummification and conservation materials—like plant oils and pesticides—used on them, they happened to give off a pleasant scent.
“We were quite worried that we might find notes or hints of decaying bodies, which wasn’t the case,” said Matija Strlič, a chemistry professor at the University of Ljubljana. “We were specifically worried that there might be indications of microbial degradation, but that was not the case, which means that the environment in this museum is actually quite good in terms of preservation.”
Apparently, 5,000-Year-Old Mummies Smell Pretty Good
This is a positive win for the mummies, too, as scents were often associated with status back in the day.
According to the study, “Mummification was not only a social practice and practical method of preserving the body from putrefaction but also a ritual with spiritual significance closely interwoven with religious beliefs. The preservation of the body was crucial to the successful transition of the soul into the afterlife.”
“Here, smells are indicators of the state of purity or corruption of the body,” the report continued.” A ‘good’ (intended as pleasant) smell was associated with the bodies of deities, in contrast to dead bodies.”
“It tells us potentially what social class a mummy was from and therefore reveals a lot of information about the mummified body that is relevant not just to conservators, but to curators and archeologists as well,” Strlič said. “We believe that this approach is potentially of huge interest to other types of museum collections.”
Next on the list for Halloween products? Mummy perfume.
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