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Black organic coatings and ritual deposits on ancient Egyptian coffins and cartonnage cases are important and understudied sources of evidence about the rituals of funerary practice. Sometimes, the coatings were applied extensively over the surface of the coffin, resembling paint; in other cases, they were poured over the mummy case or wrapped body, presumably as part of a funerary ritual. For this study, multiple samples of black coatings and ritual liquids were taken from 20 Egyptian funerary items dating to a specific time period (c. 943 to 716 BC). Multiple sampling from each object enabled several comparisons to be made: the variability of the black coating within one application, the variability between two applications on one object, and the variability from object to object. All samples were analyzed for lipids using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and 51 samples from across the 20 items were further analyzed for the presence of bitumen using solid phase separation followed by selected ion monitoring GC-MS. The majority of the black substances were found to comprise a complex mixture of organic materials, including bitumen from the Dead Sea, conifer resin, and Pistacia resin, providing evidence for a continuation in international trade between Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean after the Late Bronze Age. Both the coating and the anointing liquid are very similar to mummification balms, pointing to parallels with Egyptian embalming rituals and raising questions about the practical aspects of Egyptian funerary practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation of wooden objects is complicated by their response to changes in their environment. In particular, filling voids in wooden objects can be difficult when their dimensions might be expected to alter over time. A short survey of conservators showed that a wide variety of materials have been, and are being used for this purpose. Following conservation work undertaken on a wooden coffin, the author wished to investigate the properties of cellulosic materials and their suitability in the conservation of wooden objects. This paper shares the results of experiments that were conducted to determine the way in which hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and paper pulp fills respond in various conditions, as compared to other fill materials used by conservators. The compatibility of the HPC and paper pulp fills with wood is satisfactory enough to be able to recommend their use in the conservation of wooden artefacts, but ideally further experiments would be carried out, and on a wider variety of fill materials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]