Experts reconstructed the smell of mummified organsâand itâs actually pretty pleasant.
BY ROXANNE HOORNSEPTEMBER 14, 2023Get a Whiff of Ancient Egyptâs 'Scent of Eternity'
The limestone canopic jars of lady Senetnay featured lids shaped like human heads. Two jars are kept at the Museum August Kestner in Hanover, Germany.
WE EXPECT DEATH TO STINK. In our olfactory memory, the idea of decaying organic remains rarely conjures a pleasant odor: sour, fetid, nauseating. But in ancient Egypt, deathâand therefore the afterlifeâhad a different aroma.
âThey say that when âpeople die, they rot, they decay, they stink, and they will become countless worms.â This is how they describe it,â says Barbara Huber, doctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany. âIf you stink it means your body is already decayingâa bad, bad thing. So in order to be able to live for eternity, you need to smell good.â
Imagine notes of beeswax, tree resin, and balsam, with a hint of tar and sweetness. Some of the ingredients behind this woodsy, warm scent have the added benefit, used properly, of preserving organic matter. âItâs not like a perfume per se, or the concept we have today of a perfume. It was really for preserving the body for the afterlife,â says Huber. The ancient Egyptians believed a soul could return to an intact body after death. âPreserving the body is of utmost importance,â she adds. âBut another thing that is really interesting is the ancient Egyptians really didnât want to stink in the afterlife, and this is where the smell and the nice aromas come into play.â
Experts reconstructed the smell of mummified organsâand itâs actually pretty pleasant.
BY ROXANNE HOORNSEPTEMBER 14, 2023Get a Whiff of Ancient Egyptâs 'Scent of Eternity'
The limestone canopic jars of lady Senetnay featured lids shaped like human heads. Two jars are kept at the Museum August Kestner in Hanover, Germany.
WE EXPECT DEATH TO STINK. In our olfactory memory, the idea of decaying organic remains rarely conjures a pleasant odor: sour, fetid, nauseating. But in ancient Egypt, deathâand therefore the afterlifeâhad a different aroma.
âThey say that when âpeople die, they rot, they decay, they stink, and they will become countless worms.â This is how they describe it,â says Barbara Huber, doctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany. âIf you stink it means your body is already decayingâa bad, bad thing. So in order to be able to live for eternity, you need to smell good.â
Imagine notes of beeswax, tree resin, and balsam, with a hint of tar and sweetness. Some of the ingredients behind this woodsy, warm scent have the added benefit, used properly, of preserving organic matter. âItâs not like a perfume per se, or the concept we have today of a perfume. It was really for preserving the body for the afterlife,â says Huber. The ancient Egyptians believed a soul could return to an intact body after death. âPreserving the body is of utmost importance,â she adds. âBut another thing that is really interesting is the ancient Egyptians really didnât want to stink in the afterlife, and this is where the smell and the nice aromas come into play.â
I go out back to put Tessy away in her mew for the night and I'm struck with the piquant, mouthwatering smell of barbecue. I walk down the old path a little further and suddenly I smell the affectionate scent of sweet citrus blossoms. Then the two mingle and I'm transported back in time to a place where I had a life... far away... a long time ago. A wistful longing wrenches at the center of me...
Thank you: for describing those bittersweet moments that life imprints on all of us.
I go out back to put Tessy away in her mew for the night and I'm struck with the piquant, mouthwatering smell of barbecue. I walk down the old path a little further and suddenly I smell the affectionate scent of sweet citrus blossoms. Then the two mingle and I'm transported back in time to a place where I had a life... far away... a long time ago. A wistful longing wrenches at the center of me...
I go out back to put Tessy away in her mew for the night and I'm struck with the piquant, mouthwatering smell of barbecue. I walk down the old path a little further and suddenly I smell the affectionate scent of sweet citrus blossoms. Then the two mingle and I'm transported back in time to a place where I had a life... far away... a long time ago. A wistful longing wrenches at the center of me...
A Brooklyn-based film director is simultaneously mocking and attempting to profit off the cryptocurrency craze for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by selling a yearâs worth of fart audio clips recorded in quarantine.
âIf people are selling digital art and GIFs, why not sell farts?â Alex RamÃrez-Mallis, 36, told The Post of his dank addition to the blockchain-based NFT market.
His NFT, âOne Calendar Year of Recorded Farts,â began incubating in March 2020 when, at the beginning of the global coronavirus lockdown, RamÃrez-Mallis and four of his friends began sharing recordings of their farts to a group chat on WhatsApp.
On the one-year anniversary of the USâs COVID-19 quarantine this month â by which point RamÃrez-Mallis said he could darn near identify members of the group by their farts alone â RamÃrez-Mallis and his fellow farters compiled the recordings into a 52-minute âMaster Collectionâ audio file.
The top bid for the file is currently $183.
Individual fart recordings are also available for 0.05 Ethereum, or about $85 a pop. The gassy group has so far sold one, to an anonymous buyer.
âIf the value increases, they could have an extremely valuable fart on their hands,â he said.
A Brooklyn-based film director is simultaneously mocking and attempting to profit off the cryptocurrency craze for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by selling a year’s worth of fart audio clips recorded in quarantine.
“If people are selling digital art and GIFs, why not sell farts?” Alex Ramírez-Mallis, 36, told The Post of his dank addition to the blockchain-based NFT market.
His NFT, “One Calendar Year of Recorded Farts,” began incubating in March 2020 when, at the beginning of the global coronavirus lockdown, Ramírez-Mallis and four of his friends began sharing recordings of their farts to a group chat on WhatsApp.
On the one-year anniversary of the US’s COVID-19 quarantine this month — by which point Ramírez-Mallis said he could darn near identify members of the group by their farts alone — Ramírez-Mallis and his fellow farters compiled the recordings into a 52-minute “Master Collection” audio file.
The top bid for the file is currently $183.
Individual fart recordings are also available for 0.05 Ethereum, or about $85 a pop. The gassy group has so far sold one, to an anonymous buyer.
“If the value increases, they could have an extremely valuable fart on their hands,” he said.
