A fine body of work: Egypt’s earliest mummy gives up its secrets

♦ Archaeologists have discovered the “recipe” ancient Egyptians first used to mummify the dead, after finding the practice was carried out thousands of years earlier than previously believed.

Chemical analysis of a mummy dating from about 3700-3500BC showed plant oil, heated conifer resin, aromatic plant extract and a plant gum or sugar were mixed and used to soak the textiles used to wrap the body.

The formula includes antibacterial agents similar to those used at the height of embalming 2,500 years later.

The mummy, the remains of a man aged between 20 and 30, has been in the Egyptian Museum in Turin since 1901, and was previously thought to have been naturally mummified.

The analysis was done by teams from the University of York and Macquarie University in Australia.

Dr Stephen Buckley, an archaeologist from the University of York, said: “Our findings represent the literal embodiment of the forerunners of classic mummification.”

Mummification was previously accepted to be taking place from around 2,600BC.

Dr Jana Jones, an expert on ancient Egyptian burial practices from Macquarie University, said: “The examination of the Turin body makes a momentous contribution to our limited knowledge of the prehistoric period and the expansion of early mummification practices as well as providing vital new information on this particular mummy.”

The findings are published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.