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

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 textile 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 fragments 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 deterioration caused by weathering. The FTIR results proved increasing oxidation of the Anc. 1 sample and the decreasing of its crystallinity index more than the other samples as a result of its direct contact with environmental deterioration factors.