Around 2,600 years ago, a small ceramic bowl sat in a subterranean workshop. Carrying hints of cedar and honey, the bowl was used by Egyptian embalmers to blend essential oils and beeswax for the multimonth process that transformed corpses into mummies.
Reciting incantations, removing organs, and applying substances that made bodies dry, fragrant, and microbe-free, the embalmers employed a multifaceted set of skills.
