Cinnamon/Cassia residues found on Ancient Egyptian remains

Dr. Stephen Buckley of the University of York found traces
of what was probably cinnamon or cassia from Southeast Asia in the
residue of an Egyptian canopic jar.

This "Cinnamon Route" from Southeast Asia to Rhapta in southeastern Africa and then eventually to Egypt has been discussed on this blog previously.

http://www.cronaca.com/archives/week_2005_05_29.html

Canopic jar residue

For the past 36 years, an Egyptian jar has stood in the collection
of a Harrogate museum and, for countless years before that, lay in the
deserts of the Middle East. But tests have proved that the residue
inside is not just the grime of centuries, but is all that is left of
a long-dead priest.

Experts at York University, led by Dr Stephen Buckley, have
established the residue is cholesterol from human remains. . .

The testing also confirmed the Egyptians had sterilised the body
and entrails using alcohol as an antiseptic.

And for the first time, science has been able to show that the
alcohol used was date palm wine, confirming descriptions given by
classical authors such as the ancient Greek historian Herodotus.

It was also revealed that the organs stored inside the jar had
been treated with an aromatic spice, probably scented cinnamon or
cassia imported from South-East Asia.
---


Next a more recent study by Dr. Buckley reveals that cinnamon was used
to mummify cats:

Science Daily — Examination of Egyptian mummies has shown that animals
such as cats and crocodiles were given a far more careful and
expensive trip to the afterlife than previously thought.

The mummification process, which was crucial to the ancient Egyptians
so their bodies survived and they could become immortal, is being
investigated by Dr Stephen Buckley at the University of York. He was
speaking on September 11, 2007 at the BA Festival of Science.

His work uses modern chemistry techniques to look at exactly what was
used to mummify humans and animals.

The technique involves taking a very small sample of the mummy and
examining it for traces of chemicals using equipment commonly used in
forensic studies.

The compounds that Dr Buckley finds act as the chemical fingerprints
for the materials used by the Egyptian embalmers. These included
animal fats, beeswax, plant oils and resins, and more exotic materials
such as marjoram and cinnamon.

Following examination of over 100 samples it is clear that different
animals were treated with different mummification materials. These
"recipes" varied considerably, but it is believed that there is a
symbolic association between the ingredients used for each animal and
the god they represented.

"Mummification of animals has been thought of as cheap and cheerful,
but this shows that a significant amount of effort, knowledge and
expense was afforded to them," explained Dr Buckley.

"Cats in particular received special attention and this fits with the
idea of cats having a special place in Egyptian life."

Cats were associated with the Egyptian goddess Bastet, who was
particularly revered. To mummify a cat for its journey to the
afterlife, the typical recipe would have been 80 per cent fat or oil,
10 per cent pistacia resin, 10 per cent conifer resin and a pinch of
cinnamon.

"The Egyptian embalmers understood that there were things that caused
the body to decay and they discovered that certain materials could
help preserve the bodies. The resins they used on the inside of the
bodies had anti-bacterial properties whilst those used on the outside
acted as a barrier to moisture and fungus," said Dr Buckley.

This knowledge of the embalmers lives today on as some of those
compounds used to preserve mummies are used in modern anti-bacterial
products.

Dr Buckley's findings also shed light on the politics, religion and
trade-routes of the Egyptians.

The black colouring of the mummy of the Priest of Min at Hull Museum
is due to bitumen that was imported from Persia. This material was
both practical and symbolic. Min was the Egyptian fertility god and
the Egyptians used black silt to fertilise their fields so the mummy's
colour represents the land and the god.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by
British Association For The Advancement Of Science.
---
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912155750.htm


Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Glossary: Aloeswood

Of all the spices and aromatics, aloeswood has commanded the highest price consistently since ancient times. Today, it remains more expensive than gold. An Internet site specializing in aloeswood sells one gram of pure raw Kyara green aloeswood for US$333.00.

Other well-known names for aloeswood include lign-aloes, eaglewood, agarwood, jinko, gaharu, oud and agilawood. The taxonomic name is Aquilara ssp.

It is native from northern India to Indochina.

In medieval times, the most valuable aloeswood was actually a different species -- Aloexylon agallochum - produced in Champa, or modern South Vietnam, and Cambodia.

The Muslims knew Champa aloeswood as Sanfi from Sanf, the Arabic word for Champa. The Cambodian aloes were called Kumari from Arabic Komr(Khmer). The fragrance of the wood is actually produced by a fungus that grows on the tree.

In Champa myth, the goddess Po Nagar created the earth, aloeswood and rice. The best varieties were actually found in the mountains of the Central Highlands among the people now known as Montagnards.

The king of Champa had a special arrangement with the mountain people's King of Fire and King of Water. An official from Champa known as the "Lord of Aloeswood" would oversee Montagnards skilled at harvesting the valuable wood.

So precious is aloeswood that in Japan the most beautiful type of woman is known as a "Kyara Woman" comparing her to the most expensive type of this aromatic (usually from Indochina).

Aloeswood is the most important ingredient used in high quality incense throughout Asia and the Muslim world today.


The Imperial Ranjatai Aloeswood of the Japanese Royal Family believed to come from Vietnam or Laos is displayed by the National Museum every 10 or 15 years.



Aloeswood trees from Kalimantan, Borneo.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Spice merchants and Sea Kings

The early term for "merchant" in Austronesian is *dagang (Dempwolff) and this word is very similar to one of the terms for "ocean."

That the word for merchant might be derived from the word for ocean would make sense in light of archaeological evidence showing the earliest Nusantao trade involved coastal shell tools traded further inland. The tradition of maritime trade would expand to unprecedented levels with the introduction of spices and precious metals.

The movement of spices from Southeast Asia to Tanzania and other ports of southeastern Africa continued well into medieval times. The Muslim texts speak of merchants from Zabag and Wakwak in Southeast Asia conducting regular trading missions to Africa. The merchants from Zabag and Komr appear to have had a friendler trade relationship with Africa at this time, while Wakwak was more militaristic. Madagascar may have been populated originally by people engaged in the spice trade. The local Malagasy language is of Austronesian origin.

By the time the spice trade was roaring around 3,500 years ago, the names of spices coming via the clove route, even those of certain Southeast Asian origin like cloves, usually were of Indic origin further west in Europe and the Middle East. Those coming via the cinnamon route usually had more Austronesian-looking names in the West. This would indicate that the Nusantao were mostly only traveling as far as India on the clove route, but were moving all the way down the line along the cinnamon route.

For such long distance trade to work in this early period, autonomous sea kings had to manage things in their own regions along the spice routes.

Torsten Pedersen has reconstructed *H-r-g- as a probable Austronesian word linked with these early types of rulers.

*H-r-g-

Regarding the word rex, Torsten quotes E. Benveniste:

Rex, which is attested only in Italic, Celtic, and Indic - that
is at the Western and Eastern extremeties of the Indo-European
world, belongs to a very ancient group of terms relating to
religion and law. The connexion of Latin rego with Gr. orégo:
“extend in a straight line” (the o- being phonologically
explainable), the examination of the old uses of reg- in Latin
(e.g. in regere fines, e regione, rectus, rex sacrorum)
suggests that the rex, properly more of a priest than a king
in the modern sense, was the man who had authority to trace out
the sites of towns and to determine the rules of law.

However, Torsten suggests the rex words may belong instead "to a very ancient group of terms having to do with navigation which were introduced by invaders arriving from the east into exactly those Western and Eastern extremeties of the IE area because they have a coastline."

He links rex and related terms with the idea of a ship captain whose duties include ship-building and navigation. Indeed, one of the Austronesian terms for "ruler" is ratu/datu, which can also mean captain of a ship (barangay). Some likely cognates of this word in the Pacific -- ratu and latu -- have the meaning "master builder."

The builder and navigator must both use measurements for accuracy.

The idea of a builder is strengthened by some ancient images associated with early kings.

Fu Hsi and Nu Gua as part sea-serpents with entwined tails (sometimes fish tails) and holding carpenter's square and bow compass respectively (Shandong temple)

Shamash shown holding the royal lapis lazuli measuring rod and looped measuring cord

The practice of ship burial of kings and chiefs may be another remnant left by the ancient Nusantao sea kings. The practice was found in ancient Egypt, among the Vikings and of course among the Austronesians.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Scents of Paradise

The word "paradise" in most cultures refers to a tropical paradise not by accident. In the same sense, the scents associated with paradise -- aloeswood, ginger, camphor, cinnamon -- are not coincidental. If the idea of paradise as a group of islands (of the blest) has its origins rooted in a real place.

In Austronesia, aromatics were derived more from fresh flowers and plants rather than dried ones like spices. Of course, the shipment of aromatics in dried form is a practical consideration.

The Tahitians extracted the essences of fragrant flowers into coconut oil used as for perfume, massage and skin therapy. In the mountains of the Philippines, warriors rubbed themselves with fresh ginger before battle. People all over Austronesia adorned themselves with the most odiferous flowers strung together as leis or crowns, or placed behind the ear.

Aromatherapy and fumigation with aromatics was widely practiced. The widespread of citrus in herbal medicine derives in large part from the fragrance of these fruits. Fragrance also plays an important part in the cuisine of many Austronesian peoples. Lemongrass, lemon, ginger and mint are common fragrances associated with cooking in the region.

For a people where the sense of smell is so important to culture, it would be natural that they would also like to bring at least some of these scents with them.

Ancient tropical Asian spices found at ancient sites

Cloves, Terqa, 1,700 BC

Whole orange, Thebes, 19th Dynasty

Opium poppy, Deir el-Bahri, 1473-1458 BC

Black pepper, Mummy of Ramses II, 1279-1212 BC

Camphor, Mummy of Ramses V, 1153-1147 BC

Silk, Egyptian mummy dated at about 1,000 BC

Cinnamon, northern Mediterranean, 6th-7th cent. BC

Cinnamomum camphora, PUM II mummy, 2nd cent. BC

The sacred incense and anoiting oil in many cultures consists primarily or entirely of aromatics originating in Southeast Asia. For example, the holy anoiting oil of Exodus 30:23 is believed by some experts, using ancient sources, to consist of myrhh, cinnamon, cassia and lemongrass ('sweet calamus'). Three of these four ingredients originate in Southeast Asia.

These aromatics were used often to recreate the atmosphere of Paradise -- the Garden of Eden. Aloeswood, the main ingredient in holy incense used by Buddhists, Christians and Muslims throughout the world is associated with the Eden in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition.

The Muslims also considered ginger and camphor as scents coming from Paradise:

"The first group (of people) who will enter Paradise will be (glittering) like the moon on a full-moon night. They will neither spit therein, nor blow their noses therein nor relieve nature. Their utensils therein will be of gold and their combs of gold and silver; in their censers the aloeswood will be used, and their sweat will smell like musk." (Bukhari 4:468)

"They will be given to drink therein of a cup tempered with ginger." (Quran 76:18-19).

The virtuous shall be given a drink which is tempered with camphor from a spring wherefrom the servants of Allah drink. They cause it to gush forth through their own efforts." (Quran 76:6-7)

For those who had been there, the scents of Paradise transported them back to Eden, for others it gave a whiff of the wonders the blessed lands.

These spices are still important today in more than religious ceremonies. One of the best examples of this involves a look at the formulas for the various cola drinks now popular worldwide. The following flavorings are used in the original Coca-Cola recipe and the Pepsi-Cola recipe, notice that with the exception of coriander all the other flavors are of southeastern Asian origin:

Original Coca-Cola

Oil Orange
Oil Cinnamon
Oil Lemon
Coriander
Nutmeg
Neroli

Pepsi-Cola

Lime Juice
Oil Lemon
Oil Orange
Cinnamon Oil
Oil Nutmeg
Oil Coriander
Oil Petit Grain

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento


References

de Vartavan, C. and V. A. Amorós 1997. _Codex of Ancient Egyptian
Plant Remains: Codex des restes végétaux de l'Egypte ancienne_.
Triade Exploration's Opus Magnum Series in the field of
Egyptology [TOMS.E] I. London: Triade Exploration Ltd.

Dalby, Andrew, Dangerous Tastes The Story of Spices, 2000, Berkeley: University of California.

The Nusantao Trade Network

Solheim writes about the northern expansions: "I hypothesize that any time that maritime people in their explorations would come across the mouth of a large river, they would have moved up the river making contact with the local inhabitants and not have stayed totally along the coast." (Solheim 2000)

All indications point to the maritime Nusantao as expert seafarers. Often their sites had bones of sea mammals that could only be obtained after lengthy blue-water voyages. Their semi-permanent dwellings indicated that they moved seasonally over water as part of their lifestyle. Naturally they would settle on the coast, along river banks and lake shores.

In addition to the archaeological evidence, Solheim believes the Nusantao migrations help account for three sets of linguistics relationships that exist between Austronesian and other East Asian languages.

Others have suggested that these relationships are genetic links: Paul Benedict has postulated a family called Austro-Tai creating a link with Daic languages such as Thai and Laotian. He latter expanded Austro-Tai to include Japanese and Hmong-Mien. Schichiro Murayama had suggested Malayo-Polynesian influence but not genetic relationship with Japanese.

More recently, Laurent Sagart has proposed that Sino-Tibetan languages and Austronesian descend from a shared proto-language.

Solheim, however, believes that the first two links are the result of massive early borrowing with Nusantao traders. Firstly, contacts with Daic speakers near the Yangtze, and then with Korean and Japanese speakers during the transfer of Yayoi culture from Shandong and Korea to Japan.

We might add also this as a possible explanation for the Sino-Tibetan similarities. Certainly it does not seem that all these languages were related.

Proto-Sino-Tibetan, for example, was likely tonal and monosyllabic as this appears as a family trait of Sino-Tibetan languages. Most languages that have been in contact with Sino-Tibetan languages for some time tend to pick up some of these traits as in the example of Mon-Khmer languages.

Neither Austronesian, Korean or Japanese show anything roughly similar to this type of influence on their sound systems.

The Nusantao may have obtained their penchant for seafaring and trading from the earliest people in the region, many of whom doubtless were their ancestors. From very early dates in the Paleolithic, there are indications of settlement and trade that involved long sea voyages in the region of Australia and Melanesia (New Britain).

Some of the earliest evidence of long-range sea trade in the world is the regional exchange of the volcanic glass known as obsidian.

In mainland Southeast Asia, we first see evidence of trade in the presence of shell tools in highland areas far from the coast, and stone tools in coastal regions without stones. Solheim also believes at least two important agricultural products were traded -- rice and sugarcane -- and thus the common words for these products over much of this region.

The widest evidence for trade though comes from the presence of jade and nephrite in large quantities that seems quite likely to come in all cases from the Yangtze region. They occur in the Middle Neolithic culture of Shandong known as the Dawenkou and a bit north in the latter Hongshan culture.

Jade and nephrite have been found at neolithic sites in Batangas and Palawan in the Philippines. The presence of nephrite adzes indicates large quantities of this material in a location not known to have any natural sources.

Later, possibly by about 5500 years ago, particular types of jade/nephrite ornaments of the lingling-o and bicephalous (double-headed) type appear. Solheim sees these as strong evidence of the Nusantao trade.

The nature of these ornaments, as we will explore later, are clan-related.

Now at about this same time (pre-5000 BC), we see shell mounds popping up at Ubaid sites in the Persian Gulf. Oppenheimer has noted that the Ubaid sites contain pretty much the same inventory as those in the SE Asian Neolithic -- quadrangular stone adzes, stone hoes, clay sinkers and spindle whorls, beads, discs and painted pottery.

The Ubaid culture is thought to have given risen to the culture of the Sumerians some 5500 years ago.