It had been generally accepted by Egyptologists that mummification did not start in Egypt until the time of the Old Kingdom, and that it didn't reach its height until the Middle Kingdom. The chemical analysis revealed other interesting results. From this process he was able to determine that the linens were covered in a mixture that included pine resin, animal fat, aromatic extracts and natural petroleum. The remains of people who lived even earlier had been found, but archaeologists assumed they were preserved naturally from burial in the hot and dry desert sand and not through any deliberate mummification by their survivors. Ancient Egyptians may have been concocting complex and effective mixtures to preserve their dead as far back as 4300 B.C., new evidence suggests. The remains of people who lived even earlier had been found, but archaeologists assumed they were preserved naturally from burial in the hot and dry desert sand and not through any deliberate mummification by their survivors. Ancient Egyptians may have been concocting complex and effective mixtures to preserve their dead as far back as 4300 B.C., new evidence suggests. It had been generally accepted by Egyptologists that mummification did not start in Egypt until the time of the Old Kingdom, and that it didn't reach its height until the Middle Kingdom. The remains of people who lived even earlier had been found, but archaeologists assumed they were preserved naturally from burial in the hot and dry desert sand and not through any deliberate mummification by their survivors. "These were once people of the sea, and they probably noticed the sponge's ability to regenerate," he said. Using a series of techniques including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and sequential thermal desorption/pyrolysis, he took small samples of the textiles and separated them into their individual chemical components. "But over time this particular chemical signature disappears, which corresponds with a move away from exploiting marine resources, as they focus on the Nile valley and become more terrestrial." Buckley should know - his doctoral thesis was on identifying the ingredients of resin used in mummification during the classical Egyptian period. So she called in Buckley, who has a background in organic chemistry and an interest in Egyptology. So she called in Buckley, who has a background in organic chemistry and an interest in Egyptology.