Egypt-o-Mistry
Curse or chemistry?
For a civilisation that folks today consider ancient history, Ancient Egypt, cooked. The number of inventions and discoveries, if listed, would probably fill up page after page, which was also invented by them. But that is not all. Every major product that you search for with the tagline “near me” on Google Maps was possibly manufactured by them.
Let’s start with one we all know. Paper. You would think that Egyptians just one day tripped on a papyrus plant and instead of cursing their dumb luck, said, “Hey, why not use it for documenting taxes?” Well, we do not know, as ancient hieroglyphics don’t tell us any information on how the concept of paper was discovered. The pictures just signify they did. They cut the plant into thin strips, soaking them in water, then arranging them in two layers, perpendicular to each other. This was dried and then written on. The way ancient Egyptians manufactured paper is very similar to how industries plan the process of producing… well, anything. Freaking copycats (That was a joke, don’t sue me).
Get Chemically Abstract’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Now, you must be wondering why I am wasting my time speaking about something we all read reluctantly for history class. Well, here’s something different. Believe it or not, the pigment Egyptian blue was actually made in Egypt. No, don’t click off, please. Ancient Egypt was the first civilisation to synthesise its own pigments, something that most industries do today. Egyptian Blue was made from copper, glass, and lapis lazuli. Its chemical formula was and is CaO.CuO.4SiO2.
And this led to the Egyptians manufacturing makeup. Yes, chemical analysts studied artefacts and concluded that natural pigments such as galena (PbS), cerussite (PbCO3), Laurionite (Pb (OH)Cl) and the white powder phosgenite (Pb2Cl2CO3). The presence of Lead is one of the biggest clues of why lead pigments are used in modern-day Kohl (Kajal if you will). This is because, at submicromolar concentrations, it showed that Pb2+ ions can elicit a specific oxidative stress response in skin cells that can stimulate an immune response. So, their makeup had medicinal properties.
Okay, way too glamorous and fruity…let’s turn to death. Pharaohs of ancient Egypt were believed to ascend to the afterlife after their death…a noble gesture by the Egyptians. Therefore, they were wrapped in bandages… a process known as mummification. Okay, it was not just wrapping in bandages; otherwise, it would be one of the worst Halloween costumes. Organs were pulled out of the bodies so they wouldn’t rot, and then the empty cavities would be filled with Natron (a mixture of Na2CO3, NaHCO3, NaCl and Na2SO4). That’s not all. A process called embalming took place after this, where the body was rubbed with various oils and chemicals such as Cinnamaldehyde, Linalool and Frankincense. Some materials were applied to keep the mummy water-resistant. These included bitumen and beeswax (esters and long hydrocarbon chains). Beeswax is used today in many industries to advertise products as water-resistant and smooth, such as shoe polish.
So, for folks disregarding the older generations with the saying, the modern age did more…you are partially correct and partially wrong. The words above do so little justice to what ancient civilisations like ancient Egypt invented, but that just means they deserve more respect than we tend to give them.
