Rediscovering Nestawedjat: Embalming residue analyses reunite the mummified remains of an ancient Egyptian woman with her coffins

Abstract

Long held museum collections can sometimes lack a clear provenance or context. Here, an ancient Egyptian mummified individual in the British Museum collection was reconnected with a set of three coffins in an interdisciplinary study using bioarchaeological, scientific and Egyptological analyses. Previously assigned as male, based on earlier X-rays due to the presence of radiopaque internal packing, CT scanning was used to re-establish her sex. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were employed to investigate her possible association with the set of coffins that entered the collection at the same time by chemically characterising embalming residues found on her bandages and the innermost coffin. The near identical composition of the samples confirmed that the mummified body was originally buried in these coffins. In both, the analyses revealed embalming residues comprising a seldom reported mixture of beeswax with a fat/oil component, possibly scented with coniferous resins or oils. Atypically, no resin, tar or bituminous components were observed. The previously unnamed individual could now be identified as being the Lady of the House Nestawedjat, a woman who lived in Thebes around 700 BCE.