Abstract
The composition of resins of seven ancient Egyptian mummies from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts was studied. n-Alkanes were found in the resins by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, which suggests the presence of natural bitumen in these resins. By comparing the hydrocarbon profiles of the studied mummies with the profiles of n-alkanes from mummy resins, reported in publications, the bitumen of the Dead Sea basin was identified. Concentrations of some trace elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry; vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum were found in the resins of five mummies. The identification of bitumen (its origin) by the relative concentrations of these elements was proposed.
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This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project nos. 17-29-04144 and 17-29-04100.
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Translated by O. Zhukova
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Yatsishina, E.B., Pozhidaev, V.M., Sergeeva, Y.E. et al. Detection and Assessment of Natural Bitumen Sources in Ancient Mummy Resins. J Anal Chem 76, 779–784 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1061934821040122
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1061934821040122