Mummification balms

Nevertheless, there are some vegetable oils that have a very specific composition. For example, castor oil consists of large amounts (83 89%) of 12-hydroxy-(Z)-9-octadecenoic acid (ricinoleic acid) which is not found in other natural lipids [21]. Ricinoleic acid produces a very characteristic oxidation product, 9,12-dihydroxyoctadecanoic acid [43], and both of these compounds can be considered as specific biomarkers for castor oil and have been used to assess its presence in ceramic lamps [43] and mummification balms [23]. 

Bitumen, asphalt, and other fossil organic materials such as coal, lignite and peat are found as natural deposits and have practically always been used in arts and handicrafts. Bitumen and asphalt were used in medicines and cosmetics, as pigments, as adhesives and in mummification balms in ancient Egypt [2,159,160]. 

The terms embalming and mummification are often employed as synonyms to refer to the deliberate preservation of corpses so that they keep, as much as possible, their lifelike appearance. To embalm or mummify a dead body is to preserve it by artificial, chemical means. Dehydratation, the removal of water, for example, provides suitable conditions for the preservation of organic mater in general and of corpses in particular many ancient corpses have been mummified by dehydration. In some ancient societies, after the corpse was dry it was impregnated or filled with aromatic substances, usually known as balms, such as molten resin, pitch, or tar, preventing it from becoming unsightly. 

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