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Preserved for the afterlife

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Ancient Egyptians used sophisticated combinations of natural substances to embalm the human body. Over time, they modified their recipes to balance quality of preservation with cost and availability of materials.

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Figure 1: Wrapped for eternity — a mummy from the Roman period with a face portrait.

BRITISH MUSEUM

Figure 2: Notable aspects of the embalmer's art listed by historical period.

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  1. Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials, University of Illinois, 116 Observatory, 901 South Mathews, Urbana, 61801, Illinois, USA

    Sarah Wisseman

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  1. Sarah Wisseman
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Correspondence to Sarah Wisseman.

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Wisseman, S. Preserved for the afterlife. Nature 413, 783–784 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35101673

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