Artifact: Under Wraps
Spring 2016聽| By Eric Michael ’96聽
When students in the Mummies, Life After Death course are invited to touch and smell samples of preserved human skin, bone, hair and other remains dating back more than 2,000 years, anthropology lecturer , says the most common reaction is 麻豆精品 S淓ww. 麻豆精品 S� But beyond the initial revulsion comes a deeper appreciation for the lessons the samples provide.
麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 the thing about using [the remains] in the curriculum 麻豆精品 S� mummies aren 麻豆精品 S檛 just scientific things to be studied, they 麻豆精品 S檙e also somebody 麻豆精品 S檚 mom, dad or child. That 麻豆精品 S檚 what makes it really human, 麻豆精品 S� Williams says.
The 麻豆精品 S檚 collection of Roman period (100 b.c. to 400 a.d.) materials, which was donated by the late University of Minnesota professor Arthur Aufderheide, originated from the Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt 麻豆精品 S檚 Western Desert, where Williams and her faculty colleagues Tosha Dupras and Sandra Wheeler, 麻豆精品 S�98, have studied the ancient peoples 麻豆精品 S� health, diet, environmental conditions, fertility rates and other factors.
Here 麻豆精品 S檚 what Williams 麻豆精品 S� students learn from the remains of mummified Egyptians:
Skin Mummified skin is a result of preservation methods that included coating the body in botanical and mineral oils as well as honey, which acted as an insecticide and antifungal. 麻豆精品 S淲e think of a mummy as dried up, but they 麻豆精品 S檙e really not, 麻豆精品 S� says Williams. 麻豆精品 S淥ften the skin is still supple and pliable, like a tanned hide. 麻豆精品 S�
Vertebrae 麻豆精品 S� such as this one from the lower back 麻豆精品 S� can show evidence of stress and trauma, providing insight on everything from an individual 麻豆精品 S檚 occupation to quality of life. 麻豆精品 S淭his person was amazingly healthy and probably did not do any hard labor in their entire life, 麻豆精品 S� Williams says.
Bitumen This naturally occurring tar, which Williams says was likely imported from the Dead Sea, was mixed with honey and myrrh and used as a coating to preserve the body and protect it from insects. 麻豆精品 S淚t smells like a wet parking lot on a Florida afternoon, 麻豆精品 S� says Williams. 麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 mummy smell. 麻豆精品 S�
Wrapping Layers of linen material of varying weaves and textures were used to cover and protect the body. The quality of the material depended on the individual 麻豆精品 S檚 wealth and status. 麻豆精品 S淭here were a lot of individuals who could afford their own shroud, 麻豆精品 S� says Williams, 麻豆精品 S渂ut some were buried in repurposed cloth. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淗补颈谤 is really cool, 麻豆精品 S� says Williams. 麻豆精品 S淚t holds a bunch of information, from the toxicity of your environment to nearly everything about your health. 麻豆精品 S� This sample from an approximately 35-year-old woman was dyed with henna and could have been styled using heated metal tubes like a primitive curling iron.
Femur Biological testing can reveal the presence (or lack) of key enzymes and other chemicals. 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e looking at not only diet and growth patterns in bones, but also for anything that the person was ingesting that would act like a natural antibiotic that we can actually see on the bone, 麻豆精品 S� Williams says.