MICROBIOLOGICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL AND SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF RESINOUS MATERIALS IN THE PRESERVATION OF WRAPPING TEXTILES OF MUMMIES

Abstract

Resinous materials are considered the most important embalming agent, which help in the preservation of

ancient Egyptians bodies over time. They differ in type and amount from one mummy to another based on

the period, embalmer and the social position of the deceased. With the aim of evaluating the role of resinous

materials in the preservation of the wrapping textiles of mummies in the present study, three wrapping tex

tile fragments (Anc. 1, Anc. 2 and Anc. 3) were collected from three mummies dating back to the ancient

Egyptian Late Period (525-343 BC). These fragments differ in their amounts of adherent resin. The three

fragments were soaked in a mixture of dichloromethane and methanol (DCM: MeOH, 1:1 v/v) in order to

extract resinous materials from the fibers of the linen textiles. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

(FTIR) analysis of the extracts proved that the Anc. 2 and Anc. 3 samples included resinous materials; while,

the Anc. 1 sample did not contain any adherent resinous materials. Linen fibers from the three tested frag

ments were investigated by stereomicroscope, microbiological investigation, scanning electron microscope

(SEM) and FTIR. The results showed that resinous materials have an important role in protecting the linen

wrappings from microbial damage. They also preserved the fibers’ morphological structure from deteriora

tion caused by weathering. The FTIR results proved increasing oxidation of the Anc. 1 sample and the de

creasing of its crystallinity index more than the other samples as a result of its direct contact with environ

mental deterioration factors.