{"id":8547,"date":"2016-02-25T18:02:49","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T18:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=8547&post_type=story"},"modified":"2025-03-17T14:11:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T14:11:50","slug":"artifact-under-wraps","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/artifact-under-wraps\/","title":{"rendered":"Artifact: Under Wraps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring 2016\u00a0| By Eric Michael ’96\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

[lead]When students in the Mummies, Life After Death course are invited to touch and smell samples of preserved human skin, bone, hair and other remains dating back more than 2,000 years, anthropology lecturer Lana Williams, \u201999<\/a><\/strong>, says the most common reaction is \u201cEww.\u201d But beyond the initial revulsion comes a deeper appreciation for the lessons the samples provide.[\/lead]<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s the thing about using [the remains] in the curriculum \u2026 mummies aren\u2019t just scientific things to be studied, they\u2019re also somebody\u2019s mom, dad or child. That\u2019s what makes it really human,\u201d Williams says.<\/p>\n

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The UCF Anthropology Department<\/a>\u2019s collection of Roman period (100 b.c. to 400 a.d.) materials, which was donated by the late University of Minnesota professor Arthur Aufderheide, originated from the Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt\u2019s Western Desert, where Williams and her faculty colleagues Tosha Dupras and Sandra Wheeler, \u201998<\/a><\/strong>, have studied the ancient peoples\u2019 health, diet, environmental conditions, fertility rates and other factors.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s what Williams\u2019 students learn from the remains of mummified Egyptians:<\/h2>\n

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[photo id=”8587″ title=”Pegasus_Artifact_Skin” alt=”Pegasus_Artifact_Skin” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

Skin<\/strong> Mummified skin is a result of preservation methods that included coating the body in botanical and mineral oils as well as honey, which acted as an insecticide and antifungal. \u201cWe think of a mummy as dried up, but they\u2019re really not,\u201d says Williams. \u201cOften the skin is still supple and pliable, like a tanned hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

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[photo id=”8588″ title=”Pegasus_Artifact_Vertebra” alt=”Pegasus_Artifact_Vertebra” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

Vertebrae<\/strong> \u2014 such as this one from the lower back \u2014 can show evidence of stress and trauma, providing insight on everything from an individual\u2019s occupation to quality of life. \u201cThis person was amazingly healthy and probably did not do any hard labor in their entire life,\u201d Williams says.<\/p>\n

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[photo id=”8584″ title=”Pegasus_Artifact_Bitumen” alt=”Pegasus_Artifact_Bitumen” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

Bitumen<\/strong> This naturally occurring tar, which Williams says was likely imported from the Dead Sea, was mixed with honey and myrrh and used as a coating to preserve the body and protect it from insects. \u201cIt smells like a wet parking lot on a Florida afternoon,\u201d says Williams. \u201cThat\u2019s mummy smell.\u201d<\/p>\n

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[photo id=”8589″ title=”Pegasus_Artifact_Wrap” alt=”Pegasus_Artifact_Wrap” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

Wrapping<\/strong> Layers of linen material of varying weaves and textures were used to cover and protect the body. The quality of the material depended on the individual\u2019s wealth and status. \u201cThere were a lot of individuals who could afford their own shroud,\u201d says Williams, \u201cbut some were buried in repurposed cloth.\u201d<\/p>\n

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[photo id=”8586″ title=”Pegasus_Artifact_Hair” alt=”Pegasus_Artifact_Hair” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

\u201cHair<\/strong> is really cool,\u201d says Williams. \u201cIt holds a bunch of information, from the toxicity of your environment to nearly everything about your health.\u201d This sample from an approximately 35-year-old woman was dyed with henna and could have been styled using heated metal tubes like a primitive curling iron.<\/p>\n

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[photo id=”8585″ title=”Pegasus_Artifact_Femur” alt=”Pegasus_Artifact_Femur” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

Femur<\/strong> Biological testing can reveal the presence (or lack) of key enzymes and other chemicals. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at not only diet and growth patterns in bones, but also for anything that the person was ingesting that would act like a natural antibiotic that we can actually see on the bone,\u201d Williams says.<\/p>\n

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