THE ANCIENT WORLD
Preserved DNA from Ancient Egypt
Researchers have been developing innovative analytical methods to get ancient organs to tell their stories.
This canopic jar contains original human organs from Ancient Egypt. Their DNA can tell all kinds of stories. | Image: Copyright: IEM, University of Zurich (Inv. No. CG 4400, Egyptian Museum in Cairo)
During the mummification process, the Ancient Egyptians used to store the organs of the dead – e.g., the liver and lungs – in so-called ‘canopic’ jars. Researchers have now subjected the contents of these jars to an interdisciplinary investigation. Their methods included radiology and even – for the first-ever time – DNA analysis. This is a challenging task, given the fragile state of the tissue plus the fact that we don’t know what preserving agents were used. But according to the project head, Frank Rühli from the University of Zurich, it is now fundamentally possible to achieve the desired results.
