I'm screwed.
Posted on 09/23/2004 7:24:12 PM PDT by blam
Mummy Hair Reveals Drinking Habits
By Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News
Sept. 23, 2004
Mummy hair has revealed the first direct evidence of alcohol consumption in ancient populations, according to new forensic research.
The study, still in its preliminary stage, examined hair samples from spontaneously mummified remains discovered in one of the most arid regions of the world, the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and southern Peru.
The research was presented at the 5th World Congress on Mummy Studies in Turin, Italy, this month.
“ In modern human hair the levels would generally be in the ranges of social drinking, but we obviously don't know how much, if any, was lost in 1,000 years of burial. ”
"It is well known that immediately following ingestion, ethanol can be measured in any body fluid, as well as the expired air in our breath. Detecting exposure to alcohol days, months, or even years later is a more difficult task. You need to find direct, long term biomarks," Larry Cartmell, Clinical Laboratory Director at the Valley View Hospital in Aida, Okla., told Discovery News.
The researchers decided to look into mummy hair following previous success in demonstrating cocaine and nicotine traces in the hair of other Andean mummies.
Indeed, many drugs or their metabolic products circulate in the blood and are absorbed and incorporated permanently into the growing hair shaft. Due to their hydrophobic nature, fatty acid ethyl esters — metabolic products of ethyl alcohol — accumulate significantly in the hair and there they remain for the life of the hair.
"The purpose of our study was to determine if fatty acid ethyl esters are stable enough in measurable quantities to be found in mummy hair," Cartmell said.
The researchers tested seven hair samples, taken from five males and two females of various ages ranging from 15 to 50.
Belonging to the Maibas Chiribaya culture, the mummies were farmers who lived between 1000 and 1250.
Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry showed that three out of the seven tested samples had quantifiable levels of fatty acid ethyl esters in both male and female subjects.
"In modern human hair the levels would generally be in the ranges of social drinking, but we obviously don't know how much, if any, was lost in 1,000 years of burial. Basically, we can say that for the first time we have direct markers of alcohol use in ancient populations," Cartmell said.
According to Arthur Aufderheide, professor of pathology at University of Minnesota and author of "The Scientific Study of Mummies," the research has a interesting potential for further studies on mummies.
"We can't tell the nature of the drink, but we can tell that alcohol was consumed. The discovery of these alcohol markers will make it possible to find direct evidence of fermented drink consumption in other mummies. In the past we could only speculate about patterns of alcohol use and when alcohol was introduced in a widespread manner," Aufderheide told Discovery News.
Researchers are pretty sure, however, that the mummies of the Atacama Desert drank a cloudy beer called chica. The favored and most likely the only fermented beverage of that region, chica was generally made from maize and played an important role in the Andean culture.
"Missionaries working in post-contact Peru were appalled that during religious ceremonies the mummified bodies of Inca nobility were given cups of the corn beer to toast each other," Cartmell said.
GGG Ping.
Homer: Stupid drunken mummies!
Don't drink and mummify.
I'm screwed.
For your consideration.
Wine and Beer were not only popular drinks, their value was more than simply entertainment. Alcohol was used to 'purify' water, as it killed parasites in the water. Thus, wine and water were mixed, and often drank with meals.
Slightly 'over-ripe' meat had unpleasant flavors which are easily covered by cooking with wine.
Wine tastes good, but also stores for years; whereas grape juice has a relatively short shelflife.
Given the level of medicine and insectacides, fleas and mange were the order of the day, and fleas in bedding were just a fact of life. A slight buzz will help you sleep through the irritating bites.
I think the ancients used wine as more of a staple than we do today; by virtue of it's medicinal value, rather than the alcoholic effects. The buzz and hangover were just probably an added bonus to the benefits it gave. Again, IMHO.
"The 5th World Congress on Mummy Studies"
Who'd a thunk it? And I thought gender studies were bad!
I wonder if this group has studied Mama T and JFn? They sure look mummified to me.
the girls get prettier at closing time...
I think that is an apt overview.
I've read that ancient human mothers often nursed their children up to age five. The rancid food would often kill the children.
Ping! Hey, thanks a bunch for saving me the trouble of digging that one up (no pun intended.)
Scientists are finding more and more evidence that modern human society has existed for at least the last ten thousand years. Thor Hyerdahl proved that an Egyptian reed boat could sail the Atlantic. IMHO, there was a thriving trade going on between Central America and Egypt. Back during the Ice Age when sea levels were lower, the trip was much easier- shorter distance to sail, more islands to stop at.
So why are scientists so stubborn? They should be logical, judging each piece of evidence on it's merits. Instead, they refuse to accept any evidence that disagrees with their pet theory.
Good name for a band ... or a nick.
What in the world does that mean?
they carbon dated Teddy K to be this old?
Like cheese, taking a consumable that only lasts for days and converting it into one that lasts for years is just common sense.
What get me is that sometimes I get the feeling that modern day archies are shocked when they find that the ancients practiced common sense. I guess it's an elitist kind of thing. (Common sense was invented in the 1960's ya know.)
...at least them ol'mummies knew how to party!
It means naturally mummified. In these cases due to frozen temps and dry air.
Is that Cybill Shepard?
Interesting read.
Evidence for one way migrations on odd routes is strong, but evidence for regular trade is very poor.
The huge exception being the sweet potato, which really shocks and stumps the scholars. It's strong evidence for extremely-hard-to-believe trade and migrations between Chile and the Pacific Islands. There's just no easy way to dismiss it at all. The thinking is, if this unbelievable fact is true, then maybe some other exchanges across implausible ocean distances are plausible also. There is still is very weak evidence for other trade like this, but people are more receptive to the idea than they would be without the sweet potato thing.
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