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Abstract

Today, the development of analytic methods brings new scientific insights into the research on the mummification process used by embalmers in ancient Egypt. The application of these techniques of molecular analysis, elementary analysis, botanical analysis and bibliographic analysis of ancient texts allows us to know the composition of mummification balms and material involved in the conservation of the body. Such substances, which are mineral, animal or plant material, played a practical and a symbolic part in the composition of balms used for the preservation of mummified bodies and therefore in the passage to the eternal life after the death. The comparison of analysis results can inform us about changes in embalming techniques depending of the time, the place of mummification, the deceased's social status. However the number of mummies studied is very small compared to the number of bodies that were mummified. Finally the techniques of mummification and making balms were very variable according to practitioners and their modus operandi. Today, using these technic of chemical analysis and medical imaging techniques, we can authenticate and reconstruct the history of museum pieces, as we have done in the unpublished studies conducted in support of literature data previously collected.