Mummia
Encyclopedia
Mummia, Mumia, or "Mummy" is either a substance used in the embalming
of mummies, or a powder made from ground mummies, used as a "medical preparation". The former sense relates to substances such as "asphalt
um", bitumen, or "mineral pitch
" or carabe which have in the past been used as one of the ingredients in the preservation process of mummies.
Asphaltum (not necessarily the modern petroleum
-derived asphalt
) is a resin but it is not commonly used as incense and the smell is rather unattractive; but it was an ingredient in Plutarch's version of kyphi
and is still sometimes used as incense by occultists and magical practitoners. Asphaltum is often used nowadays as a pigment, and also is used in some types of folk medicine. In ancient times it was used to fill out the body cavities of some Egyptian mummies. Reportedly, the black color of the mummies was attributed to the use of this pitch, although it is known nowadays that the blackened color is only a result of the drying process which the bodies would undergo. Nevertheless, this erroneous notion caused the belief that all mummies contained large amounts of asphaltum in their making.
", referring to preserved corpses, is derived from the ingredient mummia. Ancient Egyptian mummy-making often utilized asphaltum (Persian
: mumiya) as an ingredient for filling the empty body cavities once the organs were removed. In the Middle Ages, the resin that had been used on ancient Egyptian mummies was believed to have superior medicinal and chemical value to regular asphaltum, and the resulting demand for the ingredient caused the term to be applied to the dead bodies required to harvest it as much as to the ingredient itself. In The Chemistry of Paints and Painting by Arthur H. Church, a description is given of mummia's preparation for paint-making:
While Egyptian mummies were traditionally the source for mummia, as demand increased throughout the Renaissance, other types of corpses came to be used including non-Egyptian mummies and bodies of the recently deceased that were specially prepared. This was sometimes called mumia falsa.
Embalming
Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus sanitization, presentation and preservation of a corpse to achieve this...
of mummies, or a powder made from ground mummies, used as a "medical preparation". The former sense relates to substances such as "asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
um", bitumen, or "mineral pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
" or carabe which have in the past been used as one of the ingredients in the preservation process of mummies.
Asphaltum (not necessarily the modern petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
-derived asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
) is a resin but it is not commonly used as incense and the smell is rather unattractive; but it was an ingredient in Plutarch's version of kyphi
Kyphi
Kyphi is a compound incense that was used in ancient Egypt for religious and medical purposes. The term "kyphi" is Greek and a transcription of the ancient Egyptian term kp.t.-Historical references:...
and is still sometimes used as incense by occultists and magical practitoners. Asphaltum is often used nowadays as a pigment, and also is used in some types of folk medicine. In ancient times it was used to fill out the body cavities of some Egyptian mummies. Reportedly, the black color of the mummies was attributed to the use of this pitch, although it is known nowadays that the blackened color is only a result of the drying process which the bodies would undergo. Nevertheless, this erroneous notion caused the belief that all mummies contained large amounts of asphaltum in their making.
Meaning
The term "mummyMummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
", referring to preserved corpses, is derived from the ingredient mummia. Ancient Egyptian mummy-making often utilized asphaltum (Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
: mumiya) as an ingredient for filling the empty body cavities once the organs were removed. In the Middle Ages, the resin that had been used on ancient Egyptian mummies was believed to have superior medicinal and chemical value to regular asphaltum, and the resulting demand for the ingredient caused the term to be applied to the dead bodies required to harvest it as much as to the ingredient itself. In The Chemistry of Paints and Painting by Arthur H. Church, a description is given of mummia's preparation for paint-making:
'Mummy,' as a pigment, is inferior to prepared, but superior to raw, asphalt, inasmuch as it has been submitted to a considerable degree of heat, and has thereby lost some of its volatile hydrocarbons. Moreover, it is usual to grind up the bones and other parts of the mummy together, so that the resulting powder has more solidity and is less fusible than the asphalt alone would be. A London colourman informs me that one Egyptian mummy furnishes sufficient material to satisfy the demands of his customers for twenty years.
History
Mummia was offered for sale medicinally as late as 1908 in the catalogue of E. Merck.While Egyptian mummies were traditionally the source for mummia, as demand increased throughout the Renaissance, other types of corpses came to be used including non-Egyptian mummies and bodies of the recently deceased that were specially prepared. This was sometimes called mumia falsa.
External links
- Sheba's Secret Mummies - Channel 4 documentary