News Archaeology

Ancient Egyptian jars hint at complex mummification balms

The ingredients and where they came from suggest the high status of the mummy Senetnay

A jar with a top that shows the facial likeness of an Egyptian woman holds the viscera of a woman named Senetnay.

This limestone jar (top shown) held the viscera of the ancient Egyptian woman Senetnay. Scientists analyzed residue in the jar to uncover the makeup of her embalming fluid.

Christian Tepper/Museum August Kestner

By Luis Melecio-Zambrano

­­Jars holding the innards of an ancient Egyptian noblewoman from roughly 3,500 years ago contain hints of one of the most complex mummification balms of that era, a new study shows.