Borate, an Effective Mummification Agent in Pharaonic Egypt
نویسندگان
چکیده
Mummification salts and mummified bones were assayed for borate. In two samples of mummification salt one from Deir el-Bahari (26th Dynasty, 700Ð600 BC) and salt from the embalming material of Tutankhamen (18th Dynasty, 1370Ð1335 BC) 3.9 and 2.1 μMol borate/ gram were found, respectively. Six mummified bone fragments from the Old Kingdom contained up to 1.2 μMol/gram. It is suggested that borate containing salt was used during mummification. The reactivity of borate on bone alkaline phosphatase, which is known to survive mummification for more than 4000 years, was examined. Borate forms high relative molecular mass adducts of this enzyme being temperature resistant and functionally distinct.
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