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Diet of ancient Egyptians inferred from stable isotope systematics
... Founded on the results from the isotopic analysis, the most commonly consumed foods included plant-based such as eggplants, pears, lentils, garlic, and wheat. Findings from this analysis suggested that ancient Egyptians followed a mostly vegetarian diet [8]. Consistent with the aforementioned findings, [9] maintained that the staple foodstuffs consumed by both poor and wealthy Egyptians included bread and beer, which were often supplemented by green onions, vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, figs, and to a lesser extent meat, game birds, and fish, which considered a luxury food that was consumed mostly by royals, nobilities and well-off Egyptians (Fig. 1). ...
... Food was fundamental to ancient Egyptians' mythological concept of the afterlife and preparation for ensuring a successful transition into eternal life. Modern elemental isotopic analysis informed of the type of diet that ancient Egyptians consumed [8]. Juxtaposing the results of this isotopic analysis with the present-day Egyptians' diet, cognate findings Fig. 11 Present-day kariesh cheese originated in ancient Egypt between 3200 and 332 BC. ...
... Chiefly among some of the traditional foods that transitioned from ancient Egypt to contemporary Egypt are koshary, molokhia, whole wheat bread, halloumi cheese, and kariesh cheese (Figs. 3,5,6,8,10,11). Further, findings from the present research demonstrated that nearly all the food consumed by ancient Egyptians, especially the proletariats, was plant-based, suggesting that, unlike present-day Egyptians, ancient Egyptians mainly adopted a vegetarian diet. Archaeological evidence discovered "grave goods" found in temples and tombs, which showed that meat consumption was limited and is a relatively recent phenomenon. ...
Because of the largely arid desert landscape of Egypt, for millennia, Egyptians have been closely connected to living alongside the narrow fertile banks of the Nile River. Annually, melting snow cascading from the mountains in the highlands of the south triggers the Nile River to flood on its journey northbound toward Egypt. As the flood water recedes, it leaves in its wake a rich layer of fertile, volcanic dark soil deposits. The Egyptians mainly rely on this annual natural event to grow various staple food crops, including emmer wheat for making bread, vegetables for cooking molokhia, fruits, and legumes for making koshary. Further, the Nile River provides a source of drinking water, fishing, and raising livestock for meat and dairy products for making halloumi and kariesh cheeses. Ancient Egyptians devoted a sizable portion of Pharaonic history to food, both as nourishment and for the preparation for the mythical religious experience on the journey into eternal life. Food played an essential role in performing religious rites, mummification, coronation and wedding banquets, burial ceremonies, and particularly in preparation for entering eternal life in the afterlife. Because the ancient Egyptians meticulously kept descriptive records, there is a considerable body of archaeological evidence and hieroglyphic accounts regarding ancient Egyptian tangible food history and culture. However, ancient Egyptian food culture has not received adequate scholarly investigations as did the Pharaohs, Pyramids, and mummies. This article aims to examine the under-researched area of the influence of the traditional food culture of Ancient Egypt on the transition of the cuisine and food culture of contemporary Egypt, and how the Pharaohs employed food to achieve longevity during their life and prepare for successful admission into their afterlife. Three factors have contributed to the development and continuation of the 5000-year Egyptian food culture. First, the existence of the Nile River provides reliable, rich silted soil for growing various staple crops. Second, the annual inundation of the Nile River transports fresh layers of silt-rich fertile soil, which provides stable agriculture and supports cultivating various food crops and raising livestock. Third, as a result, of the first two factors, Egypt has been experiencing abundantly diverse staple food sources for millennia.
... Past scientific examination of ancient Egyptian/Nubian mummies, most notably imaging, autopsy, and histological examination of removed tissue, has brought considerable understanding of ancestry, diet, disease, medical practices, mummification, and wider cultural and societal practices of people living along the Nile (Aufderheide, 2003;Chhem, 2004;Adams and Alsop, 2008;Touzeau et al., 2014;Richardin et al., 2017). However, many such approaches have been highly invasive and/or destructive, driving discussions about how a balanced approach might be struck between gaining important archaeological understanding of our ancestors and treating their bodies in a respectful way (Kaufmann and Rühli, 2010). ...
Scientific examination of mummies has provided a better understanding of the ancestry, diet, disease, medical practices, mummification processes, culture and society of human populations worldwide and from different epochs. However, many examinations have been invasive and/or destructive, leading to current-day concerns among archaeologists and mummy custodians about this methodology. Multidisciplinary approaches, notably minimally invasive biopsy, endeavour to maximise the amount of data obtained from a sample whilst minimising its size and the effects on the mummy. As an illustration of the wealth of data that can be obtained from non- and minimally invasive image-guided procedures on wrapped mummified bodies, we report here on such a study of Takabuti, an Egyptian woman who lived in Thebes during the first millennium BCE.
Multiplanar and 3D reconstructive computerised whole-body tomographic imaging (CT) revealed age at death and confirmed the inscriptional evidence from the coffin regarding sex. A notable finding was ante-mortem damage to the ribs indicative of a blow by a sharp, possibly curved, object from behind, suggesting that Takabuti was murdered. Fifty milligrams of bone and thigh muscle were taken for respectively genomic and proteomic analysis. mtDNA revealed the rare Eurasian H4a1 haplogroup suggestive of the introduction of new gene pools during the Late Period. Identification and quantification of the structural and functional proteins and metabolically important enzymes indicate protracted leg muscle activity in the hours before death. Chemical analysis, microscopy and radiocarbon dating of 20–30 mg needle biopsy samples of the packing material inserted during mummification discovered wood shavings, including imported cedar, and congealed resin. Organic analyses revealed the resin to be largely vegetal in origin including wood and aromatic/preservative oils derived from Pinaceae species, identical to the mummification balm removed from the original bandages. Once the age of the trees from which the sawdust was derived has been taken into account, the packing material’s radiocarbon date indicated mummification in the Third Intermediate Period and in keeping with the previously dated hair and the stylistic dating of the coffin that placed it in the 25th Dynasty.
We have shown that CT scanning combined with targeted invasive biopsy needle sampling provides a wealth of scientific information with minimal disturbance to the mummy. Molecular, biochemical and geochemical analytical techniques allow statistically robust replicate sampling but require the removal of only milligram quantities. This approach forms the basis of a generic ‘palaeobiographical’ approach to the examination of naturally and artificially preserved bodies in which both soft tissues and bone are present.
... Ammonia has been used before in ancient Egypt as well as a heating source and its remaining found on the ceilings (Touzeau et al. 2014). It is poisonous to be used in that way because nitrogen burnings which has been known as NOX occurs during the burning and it is harmful for Ozone layer too. ...
In this chapter, a solar-based multigeneration system is examined in terms of heating, cooling and electricity generation capacity, as well as energy and exergy efficiencies. Through this sun-powered system, multiple useful outputs are obtained and utilized for a sustainable community. Moreover, two molten storage tanks with higher and lower temperatures are used to minimize energy imbalances in the system. While the energy required for the system is supplied from the solar tower, electricity and heat are produced to the community with the Brayton-Rankine combine cycle. Furthermore, the desired cooling is obtained with the absorption refrigeration system powered by the rejected heat from the Brayton cycle. The overall energy and exergy efficiencies of the system are found to be 69.33% and 41.81%, respectively.KeywordsSolar energyEnergyExergyEfficiencyTrigenerationSustainable community
... It was already cultivated in Central Europe during the Stone Age [9]. It is also mentioned in the Bible, in the first book of Moses (Moses 25:27-34), but stable carbon isotope studies have shown that it was also an important part of the diet in ancient Egypt [10]. Its botanical description in 1787 was carried out by Friedrich Kasimir Medikus, a German physicist and botanist [11]. ...
The crops commercially available in Hungary show great variety in terms of their county of origin. According to out hypothesis, this diversity is also reflected in value of their nutrient content. In our experiments, the nutrient and mineral content of jasmine rice, lentils and beans from different areas of origin was determined, and the results were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The aim of our work was to gather basic data from raw materials from different countries of the world, which can be compared with basic data from Hungary. During the evaluation of the results, a trend-like change in macronutrient amount was observed, while the mineral content of the crops was moderately or strongly variable in several cases. Based on our results, it is recommended that experts update basic data more frequently, given the increasingly globalized nature of the world, and take into account the variability of crops by country of origin.
... A kőkorszak idején már termesztették Közép-Európában[9]. A Bibliában, Mózes első könyvében is említést tesznek róla (Mózes 25:27-34), de stabil szénizotóp vizsgálatok bizonyították, hogy az ókori Egyiptomban is a táplálkozás fontos részét képezte[10]. Növénytani leírása Friedrich Kasimir Medikus, német fizikus és botanikus nevéhez fűződik -ben[11]. ...
A Magyarországon kereskedelmi forgalomban kapható termések származási országuk tekintetében nagy változékonyságot mutatnak. Hipotézisünk szerint ez a sokféleség megmutatkozik a tápanyagtartalom mennyiségében is. Kísérleteink során különböző származási helyről érkező jázminrizs, lencse és szárazbab tápanyag- és ásványanyag-tartalmának meghatározását végeztük el, az eredményeket leíró statisztikai módszerekkel elemeztük. Munkánk célja az volt, hogy a világ különböző országaiból származó alapanyagokból legyenek alapadataink, amelyeket összehasonlíthatunk a magyarországi alapadatokkal. Az eredmények értékelése során a makrotápanyagok trendszerű változását tapasztaltuk, a termények ásványanyag tartalma több esetben közepes vagy erős változékonyságú volt. Eredményeink alapján javasolható, hogy a szakértők gyakrabban újítsák meg az alapadatokat – tekintettel az egyre globalizált világra –, és vegyék figyelembe a termények származási ország szerinti változékonyságát.
The article aims at questioning the Egyptological communal opinion that “in ancient Egypt, there was no artist in the proper sense of the word”, as stated in the Lexikon der Ägyptologie (III, 833). It starts with a brief historiography of this assumption before addressing the issue of the definition of art and artist, in general, and more specifically from an ancient Egyptian point of view. After a broad statistical overview of the numerous Egyptological data which allow us to trace members of the trades recognized as artistic by ancient Egyptians themselves, it analyses how one may study their social profile and perception in Antiquity, before concluding on the necessity to re-integrate the concept of artist in the discourse of Egyptology
Renewable energy sources are sources that have unsteady, fluctuating and intermittent availability due to their nature. Those are the main challenge in the effective use of renewables. Energy storage (ES) techniques have a tremendous potential to solve challenges in the use of renewables. The scope of this chapter is to introduce the ES methods in renewable energy applications to readers with practical examples. This chapter, first, briefly answers the questions: what energy storage is, why we need ES, and what the ES methods are. This is followed by introducing the ES methods used in renewable energy applications. Recent developments in the area of ES and their practical applications are discussed.KeywordsEnergy storageThermal energy storageMechanical energy storageBatteriesChemical energy storageHydrogenEnergy carrier
Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for reconstructing the diet and health of ancient individuals. The carbon and nitrogen stable isotope compositions of human tissues reflect those of the foodstuffs consumed and can be altered by physio-pathological stressors. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values can be measured in the protein as a whole or in the amino acids constituting the protein by using a bulk or compound-specific isotope technique, respectively.
Human scalp hair is considered an ideal tissue in stable isotope studies because it is resistant to degradation, is predominantly composed of proteins (keratins), grows fast and at a ‘known’ rate (circa 1 cm/month when in anagen phase), and it does not remodel after deposition. The isotope signal is recorded sequentially as the tissue grows and remains unaltered through time, with the most recent information found at the hair root. The sampling procedure is minimally invasive and therefore comparative studies on living individuals can be performed.
Stable isotope analysis of sequential segments of scalp hair is a means of achieving a highly detailed and temporally resolved reconstruction of an individual’s life. Dietary intake and health status of individuals can be reconstructed on a fortnightly basis when 0.5-cm-long hair segments are incrementally analysed.
The Gauls, who occupied most of Western Europe during the Second Iron Age (500 BCE–50 BCE), exploited their environ- ment through farming and trading of local resources. The study of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and sulfur (δ34S) stable isotopes of 8 humans and 12 animals from the Gallic site of Thézy-Glimont, Picardie, France, provides an insight into the dietary practices of this population. Various bones from the cephalic, axial, and appendicular skeletons of three human individuals were sampled to study intra-skeletal stable isotope variability. All bones have similar collagen δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values for each individual, showing that they followed a consistent diet during their life, and that isotopic compositions are homogeneously recorded in bones despite various turnover rates. The δ13C (− 20.5‰ to − 19.8‰) and δ15N (+ 7.6‰ to + 9.0‰) values indicate that the studied Gallic individuals followed a continental omnivorous diet based on C3-plants and cattle meat. High δ34S values, in the range + 11.7‰ to + 17.7‰, are apparently at variance with these conclusions as they reflect a marine contribution. However, they can also be explained by a more intense regime of precipitation from the westerlies and possible contributions from the geological substratum. While deepening the knowledge of the cultural practices of Gallic tribes from Northern Gaul during the Second Iron Age, this study highlights how stable isotope compositions of body tissues can reflect the interactions between populations and their environment.
(13)C/^(12)C ratios have been determined for plant tissue from 104 species representing 60 families. Higher plants fall into two categories, those with low δ_(PDB1) ^(13)C values (-24 to -34‰) and those with high δ ^(13)C values (-6 to -19‰). Algae have δ^(13)C values of -12 to -23‰. Photosynthetic fractionation leading to such values is discussed.
Archaeobotanical research at the Roman port of Berenike, located on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, has revealed some 60 cultivated plant species. These not only represent foods available to the inhabitants of this important harbor, but also foods traded between Rome and especially Sudan and India. Black pepper was found in considerable quantities, the first archaeobotanical find of this nature, confirming the large-scale nature of this trade, previously known only from historical sources. Most of the foods consumed at the site were imported from the Nile valley and the mediterranean region, though some came from the Eastern Desert. The likelihood of small-scale local crop cultivation is discussed.
The isotopic ratios of common light elements often provide useful information about past geologic, environmental, or biologic history. Bender’s (1968) clear identification of two distinct isotopic values for carbon from C3 and C4 plant organic matter led to the experiments which showed that animal δ13C values were closely related to dietary values (DeNiro and Epstein 1978a; Tieszen et al. 1983). Results from field applications (DeNiro and Epstein 1978b; Vogel 1978; Tieszen et al. 1979; Tieszen and Imbamba 1980) established the usefulness of these tracers and soon led to numerous archaeological studies. C and N, both present in bone collagen, have been most useful to suggest marine versus terrestrial dependence, to establish maize utilization or dependence on legumes, and to identify relative trophic-level positions or carnivory versus herbivory. Recently, attention has been focused on the use of bioapatite CO3 (Lee-Thorp et al. 1989a, 1989b; Lee-Thorp and van der Merwe 1991) as a supplement to collagen, especially in bones older than 10000 years, and as an adjunct to collagen for estimates of carnivory. The 180 signal in bioapatite also has the potential to provide information on the water status of the individual or the environment. Sulfur isotopes δ
34
S), when present in sufficient quantities, as in hair or skin, are also useful and in some cases can distinguish clearly between marine and terrestrial dietary sources (Krouse and Herbert 1988).