Effects of fire on Egyptian mummies: an optical and neutron vibrational spectroscopy study

Skeletal remains from mummies of the Egyptian Collection of the National Museum of Brazil, damaged by fire in 2018, were analysed by vibrational spectroscopy (infra-red, Raman and inelastic neutron scattering). Four different mummies were probed, including one from the Roman period which was one among eight worldwide. The present data delivered the burning conditions to which the mummies were subjected and allowed us to determine the extent of the heat-induced effects and the way they were impacted by the mummification process. Some of the mummies were found to have been subjected to different temperatures, depending on the location of the bone fragment in the skeleton. Several contaminants were identified; both compounds used during mummification (including salts and pigments) and construction materials from the building collapse. The results enabled us to characterise the mummified skeletal remains recovered after the fire and are expected to help establish the most suitable preservation methods.