Egypt natural mummies

Because cadavers comprise 60%-80% water their breakdown has been described as a competition between desiccation and decomposition (Auf-derheide 1981). The relationship between these processes is important because rapid desiccation can inhibit decomposition and result in the natural preservation of a cadaver for thousands of years, such as the natural mummies observed in Egypt (Ruffer 1921) and Peru (Allison 1979). Sledzik and Micozzi (1997) distinguished three types of mummification natural, intentional, and artificial. Dryness, heat, or absence of air may cause natural mummification. Intentional mummification is the result of exploitation or enhancement of natural mummification processes. Artificial mummification may be the result of evisceration, fire, or smoke curing and the application of embalming substances. 

Silk. Silk, the only natural fiber that comes in filament form, has been and still is one of the most appreciated and valued textile fibers. Silk filaments are secreted by the larvae of several types of silk moths to make their cocoons. Most silk is derived, however, from the larvae of the Bombyx mori moth, which has been widely cultivated in China for over 5000 years. Fragments of silk fabric dated to the late fourth millennium b.c.e. were found at Qianshanyang, in the province of Zhejiang, in China. There are, however, even earlier indications of the use of silk silk remains were found together with an eleventh-century b.c.e. mummy in Egypt, probably also providing evidence of ancient trading routes between the Far and Middle East. 

---