Investigation of the archeological remains using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry

Yury Kostyukevich, Alexandra Kitova, Alexander Zherebker, Shah Rukh, Eugene Nikolaev

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Investigation of the archeological material at the molecular level can reveal the composition of ancient paint, balsamic material, reveal cooking recipes, etc. High-resolution mass spectrometry is a powerful technique with underestimated potential for archeology. Here, we present the investigation of the 3000-year-old archeological remains, identified as parts of internal organs of an Egyptian mummy, using high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry. We observed a diverse number of oxidized classes of compounds: O, O2, O3, O4, O5, N, NO, NO2, NO3, NO4, NO5, N2O, N2O2. Such chemical composition is unusual and we never observed it in our previous studies of petroleum, humic substances, products of wood pyrolysis or other natural complex mixtures. It is possible that such compounds are formed via biodegradation of lipids and other organic material used for funeral rites. We did not observe evidence of the presence of mineral bitumen, although there are many historical records of the use of mineral bitumen for mummification.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)391-396
Number of pages6
JournalEuropean Journal of Mass Spectrometry
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Aug 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Mass spectrometry
  • archeology
  • electrospray
  • high resolution
  • remains

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Spectroscopy

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