Animal mummification in ancient Egypt was a carefully organized practice that connected spiritual beliefs with economic activity. This wasn’t a rare or occasional ritual but a large, sustained ...

Archaeologists in Egypt unearthed a sealed packet of the epic poem resting atop a Roman-era mummy, suggesting they may have been used as a magical ward for the afterlife. Papyri were plentiful in the ...

Unknown artist, “Mesu Smelling a Lotus” (c. 1525–1504 BCE), New Kingdom, Thebes, Egypt (image via Metropolitan Museum of Art) What did ancient mummies smell like? What types of scents, perfumes, and ...

Ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smell 'woody,' 'spicy' and 'sweet', finds a new study led by researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana, revealing new details about mummification practices ...

Scientists have unearthed what they believe to be the oldest known evidence of human mummification in Southeast Asia. The findings, estimated to be around 12,000 years old, set a new record for the ...

Here’s a question you’ve probably never thought of: What do Egyptian mummies smell like? An international team of researchers has a surprising answer: woody, spicy, and sweet (but if you’re ...

Tightly packed human remains in odd positions were likely smoked and mummified in ancient southeast Asia. Hung, et al (2025) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences As the spooky season ...

A research team from the University of Ljubljana and the Egyptian Museum of Cairo is a winner of the 2025 Gizmodo Science Fair for reproducing the smell of mummies, offering a new window into Ancient ...