ARCHAEOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY—EXPLORING HISTORY WITH CHEMISTRY - Chemistry: Notable Research and Discoveries - page 168

mummies exhibit the remarkable technological skills of the ancient
Egyptians, as some of the remains have survived for several thousand
years. Other intentionally preserved human remains have been found
in China.
The very existence of these mummies provides clues as to the reli-
gion, philosophy, and technology of these ancient civilizations. Along
with the surviving records, such as the topic of the Dead, which de-
scribed the passage of the deceased into the afterlife, historians know
something about ancient Egyptians and their beliefs.
But what about daily life? Religious or political writings do not usu-
ally reveal much about how many of the citizens actually lived and died.
To investigate this issue, archaeologists employ the principles of chem-
istry and biology to study the bodies. These investigations are similar to
forensic anthropology—the application of anthropology (the study of
humans) in legal or criminal situations.
AColdCASE:ÖTzI,THEICEMAn
Intentional preservation such as that of Egyptian and Chinese mum-
mies is not the only means by which archaeologists find ancient bodies.
Sometimes accidental circumstances set up environmental conditions
that also preserve a body. For example, peat bogs are wetlands with an
accumulation of peat—partially decayed plants—and are common in
northern Europe. Bodies that fell or were thrown into peat bogs thou-
sands of years ago have been preserved, possibly due to the bog's lack of
oxygen or the presence of antimicrobial chemicals. Hundreds of “bog
mummies,” and partial mummies, have been found.
Ice is another preservative. Freezing preserves bodies by slowing
or stopping chemical reactions that break down tissues. One of the
best preserved bodies from ancient times was found on September 19,
1991, when German tourists hiking at 10,530 feet (3,210 m) above sea
level in an isolated section of the Ötzal Alps, on the border between
Italy and Austria, discovered a body that came to be known as Iceman,
or Ötzi (after the mountain range). (Since Tyrol is another name for
the region in which Ötzi was found, some people refer to him as the
Tyrolean iceman.) The body was clothed in a coat made from woven
grass, a leather vest, leggings, and shoes. His shoes were particularly
impressive—they were waterproof and consisted of bearskin, deerskin,