Analysis Reveals Spanish Paint on Egyptian Mummy
Friday, August 17, 2007
Keywords: x-ray fluorescence, long-distance trade, sourcing, archaeomineralogy
Summary: Researchers at the Brooklyn Museum have analyzed the red pigment on the linen wrapped around an Egyptian mummy. They utilized X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to identify the elements in the lead-based red pigment, which, they claim match a chemical signature of lead from Spain's Rio Tinto region, a mining area for the last five millennia. Silver, in particular, was mined here, and the lead could have been a smelting by-product.
Excerpt from Discovery Channel:
Mummy Was Painted Red With Spanish Lead
By Jennifer Vieagas
Egyptian mummies may be more international than previously thought, as analysis of one such mummy in the Brooklyn Museum's collection has revealed a surprising connection to Spain.
The mummy, named "Demetrios," turns out to have been wrapped in linen that was decorated with red pigment containing lead that originated in Spain, according to the museum.
"We now think the ancient Egyptians made very specific material choices for mummy preparation," Lisa Bruno, the museum's lead object conservator, told Discovery News.
"Red was thought to ward off danger," she added, explaining that the lead-based paint is toxic, so the Egyptians might have been fighting poison with poison.
Demetrios recently underwent X-ray fluorescence, a process whereby objects and materials are exposed to short wavelength X-rays that excite atoms and cause them to release radiation. This radiation has energy characteristics of the atoms within the object, so the technique helps researchers to determine what chemicals might be present.
Bruno said the lead painted on Demetrios matches the chemical profile of lead from Spain's Rio Tinto region, which has been a site for silver and other mining operations for over 5,000 years. . .
To read the rest of the article, please visit the Discovery website:
Blog Author: Ellery Frahm