This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe ... more This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/ or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evidence for lignite exploitation was likely connected to and at the same time enabled Late Bronze Age Aegean metal and pottery production, significantly by both male and female individuals.
Nefertiti - 'the Beautiful' - is one of Egypt's most compelling and mysterious figure... more Nefertiti - 'the Beautiful' - is one of Egypt's most compelling and mysterious figures. Wife of the controversial pharaoh Akhenaten, she lived through perhaps the most tumultuous period in the country's long history. The so-called Amarna Period has long held a fascination - not just for the enormous changes it brought to the religion, art and administration of Egypt, but for the many mysteries which surround it. Mysteries, that is, until now. Leading Egyptologist Dr Joann Fletcher has taken a fresh eye to the evidence and arrived at one of the most dramatic discoveries in recent times. Working with a team of leading experts, she has identified a long-forgotten mummy as the body of a female pharaoh of the Amarna Period, whom she believes is Nefertiti herself. Lying for over three thousand years in an unused side chamber of Tomb KV.35 in the Valley of the Kings, it tells a story which will forever change the way in which we view Nefertiti - and indeed women throughout Egyptian history. Now at last we see the full significance of her role as co-regent and later Pharaoh of Egypt, as well as understanding the astonishing luxury and decadence of her life in Amarna - a life she led as the country around her began to disintegrate.
∗ Department of Archaeology, University of York, King’s Manor, York YO1 7EP, UK Museum of New Yor... more ∗ Department of Archaeology, University of York, King’s Manor, York YO1 7EP, UK Museum of New York in 1941, originally entitled Materials used at the embalming of King Tūt’ankh-Amūn, and now more snappily repackaged as Tutankhamun’s funeral. Although slim, it encapsulates much impressive scholarship, from the original text by Herbert Winlock to the introduction and appendix (‘Updating Winlock’) added by his successors at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where this new edition accompanied the 2010 exhibition of material relating to the funerary rites of this pharaoh.
The sound of a 3,000 year old mummified individual has been accurately reproduced as a vowel-like... more The sound of a 3,000 year old mummified individual has been accurately reproduced as a vowel-like sound based on measurements of the precise dimensions of his extant vocal tract following Computed Tomography (CT) scanning, enabling the creation of a 3-D printed vocal tract. By using the Vocal Tract Organ, which provides a user-controllable artificial larynx sound source, a vowel sound is synthesised which compares favourably with vowels of modern individuals.
This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe ... more This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evid...
This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe ... more This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evid...
Until current studies of ancient Yemeni mummies began in 2002, they were generally dismissed as &... more Until current studies of ancient Yemeni mummies began in 2002, they were generally dismissed as "rudimentary", despite the identification of a "canopic jar" from a burial context suggesting some form of evisceration (Vogt 2002). Furthermore, the preservatives which have survived in association with the body provide direct evidence for specific funerary practices, and allow a comparison with those found elsewhere in the ancient world. Certainly such materials had both a practical and a symbolic significance in ancient Egyptian mummification, which employed natron, oils, waxes, and resins to preserve the body whereas the Persians are said to have used wax (Herodotus 1954: 1.140, trans. p. 99). Although very little is currently known about ancient Yemeni methods of body preservation, proposed preservatives include the hygroscopic plant "el-Raa" which was placed inside the body as a desiccant. Other organic materials that may also have been available includ...
The mummies of Kha and his wife Merit were found intact in an undisturbed tomb in western Thebes ... more The mummies of Kha and his wife Merit were found intact in an undisturbed tomb in western Thebes near the ancient workers ’ village of Deir el-Medina. Previous MDCT (this abbrevia-tion needs spelling out) investigations showed that the bodies of Kha and Merit did not undergo classical royal 18th Dynasty artificial mummification, which included removal of the internal organs. It was, therefore, concluded that the retention of the viscera in the body, combined with an absence of canopic jars in the burial chamber, meant the couple under-went a short and shoddy funerary procedure, despite their relative wealth at death. Never-theless, all internal organs- brain, ocular bulbs/ocular nerves, thoracic and abdominal organs- showed a very good state of preservation, which contradicts the previous interpre-tation above. In order to better understand the type of mummification used to embalm these bodies, both wrapped mummies were reinvestigated using new generation X-ray imaging and chemical ...
Queen Nefertari, the favourite Royal Consort of Pharaoh Ramses II (Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, 19... more Queen Nefertari, the favourite Royal Consort of Pharaoh Ramses II (Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty c. 1250 BC) is famous for her beautifully decorated tomb in the Valley of the Queens. Her burial was plundered in ancient times yet still many objects were found broken in the debris when the tomb was excavated. Amongst the found objects was a pair of mummified legs. They came to the Egyptian Museum in Turin and are henceforth regarded as the remains of this famous Queen, although they were never scientifically investigated. The following multidisciplinary investigation is the first ever performed on those remains. The results (radiocarbon dating, anthropology, paleopathology, genetics, chemistry and Egyptology) all strongly speak in favour of an identification of the remains as Nefertari’s, although different explanations-albeit less likely-are considered and discussed. The legs probably belong to a lady, a fully adult individual, of about 40 years of age. The materials used ...
This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe ... more This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/ or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evidence for lignite exploitation was likely connected to and at the same time enabled Late Bronze Age Aegean metal and pottery production, significantly by both male and female individuals.
Nefertiti - 'the Beautiful' - is one of Egypt's most compelling and mysterious figure... more Nefertiti - 'the Beautiful' - is one of Egypt's most compelling and mysterious figures. Wife of the controversial pharaoh Akhenaten, she lived through perhaps the most tumultuous period in the country's long history. The so-called Amarna Period has long held a fascination - not just for the enormous changes it brought to the religion, art and administration of Egypt, but for the many mysteries which surround it. Mysteries, that is, until now. Leading Egyptologist Dr Joann Fletcher has taken a fresh eye to the evidence and arrived at one of the most dramatic discoveries in recent times. Working with a team of leading experts, she has identified a long-forgotten mummy as the body of a female pharaoh of the Amarna Period, whom she believes is Nefertiti herself. Lying for over three thousand years in an unused side chamber of Tomb KV.35 in the Valley of the Kings, it tells a story which will forever change the way in which we view Nefertiti - and indeed women throughout Egyptian history. Now at last we see the full significance of her role as co-regent and later Pharaoh of Egypt, as well as understanding the astonishing luxury and decadence of her life in Amarna - a life she led as the country around her began to disintegrate.
∗ Department of Archaeology, University of York, King’s Manor, York YO1 7EP, UK Museum of New Yor... more ∗ Department of Archaeology, University of York, King’s Manor, York YO1 7EP, UK Museum of New York in 1941, originally entitled Materials used at the embalming of King Tūt’ankh-Amūn, and now more snappily repackaged as Tutankhamun’s funeral. Although slim, it encapsulates much impressive scholarship, from the original text by Herbert Winlock to the introduction and appendix (‘Updating Winlock’) added by his successors at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where this new edition accompanied the 2010 exhibition of material relating to the funerary rites of this pharaoh.
The sound of a 3,000 year old mummified individual has been accurately reproduced as a vowel-like... more The sound of a 3,000 year old mummified individual has been accurately reproduced as a vowel-like sound based on measurements of the precise dimensions of his extant vocal tract following Computed Tomography (CT) scanning, enabling the creation of a 3-D printed vocal tract. By using the Vocal Tract Organ, which provides a user-controllable artificial larynx sound source, a vowel sound is synthesised which compares favourably with vowels of modern individuals.
This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe ... more This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evid...
This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe ... more This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evid...
Until current studies of ancient Yemeni mummies began in 2002, they were generally dismissed as &... more Until current studies of ancient Yemeni mummies began in 2002, they were generally dismissed as "rudimentary", despite the identification of a "canopic jar" from a burial context suggesting some form of evisceration (Vogt 2002). Furthermore, the preservatives which have survived in association with the body provide direct evidence for specific funerary practices, and allow a comparison with those found elsewhere in the ancient world. Certainly such materials had both a practical and a symbolic significance in ancient Egyptian mummification, which employed natron, oils, waxes, and resins to preserve the body whereas the Persians are said to have used wax (Herodotus 1954: 1.140, trans. p. 99). Although very little is currently known about ancient Yemeni methods of body preservation, proposed preservatives include the hygroscopic plant "el-Raa" which was placed inside the body as a desiccant. Other organic materials that may also have been available includ...
The mummies of Kha and his wife Merit were found intact in an undisturbed tomb in western Thebes ... more The mummies of Kha and his wife Merit were found intact in an undisturbed tomb in western Thebes near the ancient workers ’ village of Deir el-Medina. Previous MDCT (this abbrevia-tion needs spelling out) investigations showed that the bodies of Kha and Merit did not undergo classical royal 18th Dynasty artificial mummification, which included removal of the internal organs. It was, therefore, concluded that the retention of the viscera in the body, combined with an absence of canopic jars in the burial chamber, meant the couple under-went a short and shoddy funerary procedure, despite their relative wealth at death. Never-theless, all internal organs- brain, ocular bulbs/ocular nerves, thoracic and abdominal organs- showed a very good state of preservation, which contradicts the previous interpre-tation above. In order to better understand the type of mummification used to embalm these bodies, both wrapped mummies were reinvestigated using new generation X-ray imaging and chemical ...
Queen Nefertari, the favourite Royal Consort of Pharaoh Ramses II (Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, 19... more Queen Nefertari, the favourite Royal Consort of Pharaoh Ramses II (Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty c. 1250 BC) is famous for her beautifully decorated tomb in the Valley of the Queens. Her burial was plundered in ancient times yet still many objects were found broken in the debris when the tomb was excavated. Amongst the found objects was a pair of mummified legs. They came to the Egyptian Museum in Turin and are henceforth regarded as the remains of this famous Queen, although they were never scientifically investigated. The following multidisciplinary investigation is the first ever performed on those remains. The results (radiocarbon dating, anthropology, paleopathology, genetics, chemistry and Egyptology) all strongly speak in favour of an identification of the remains as Nefertari’s, although different explanations-albeit less likely-are considered and discussed. The legs probably belong to a lady, a fully adult individual, of about 40 years of age. The materials used ...
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