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Wood Used in Pharaonic Coffins Cut from Egyptian Ficus, Lebanese Cedars

The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun in Luxor. (Reuters)
The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun in Luxor. (Reuters)
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Wood Used in Pharaonic Coffins Cut from Egyptian Ficus, Lebanese Cedars

The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun in Luxor. (Reuters)
The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun in Luxor. (Reuters)

A new Italian study has identified the source of the wood used to make coffins in Ancient Egypt.

In the study published in the latest issue of the Italian Journal of Cultural Heritage, a research team from the Egyptian Museum in Florence analyzed two groups of coffins preserved in the museum in order to collect more information about the wood used in their construction, and possible origin.

The two groups of coffins belong to burials during the XVIII Dynasty of the New Kingdom and the XXI Dynasty of the Third Intermediate Period.

The study showed that the latter group comes from the well-known tomb of Bab el-Gasus. The analysis confirms that the most frequently utilized timber for the ancient Egyptian wooden coffins was Ficus sycomorus L. (sycamore fig) that was widely available locally at the time of construction. Although the sycamore fig wood is light and easy to process, it is resistant especially when submerged in water. It is the only local tree species suitable for making boards of sufficient length for the sides of coffins.

In contrast, the precious softwood of Cedrus cf. libani (probably Lebanon cedar) largely appears in the coffins of the New Kingdom.

According to the study, the comparison of the woods from the analysis of the two groups of coffins reveals important information on the workmanship skills, the higher social status of the deceased in more ancient periods, and the socio-economic situations in the different dynasties of Ancient Egypt.

The study suggested that the worst socio-economic situations drastically reduced the availability of fancy wood like Cedrus cf. libani during the XXI dynasty period, and increased the use of sycamore fig.

"The results of this study highlight commercial ties between Ancient Egypt and the Levant," Dr. Mohammed Fathi, professor of Egyptology at Al-Minia University, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It might also support the findings of a German study published in 2017, in the journal Nature Communications. The study analyzed the genome of Ancient Egyptians and compared it with the genome of modern Egyptians, and found that Pharaos' had Levantine origins, not African like the current Egyptians.”

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‘Secret City’ Discovered Underneath Greenland’s Ice Sheets

Construction on the mysterious base began in 1959 (Getty)
Construction on the mysterious base began in 1959 (Getty)
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‘Secret City’ Discovered Underneath Greenland’s Ice Sheets

Construction on the mysterious base began in 1959 (Getty)
Construction on the mysterious base began in 1959 (Getty)

Deep below the thick ice of Greenland lies a labyrinth of tunnels that were once thought to be the safest place on Earth in case of a war.

First created during the Cold War, Project Iceworm saw the US plan to store hundreds of ballistic missiles in a system of tunnels dubbed “Camp Century,” Britain’s the METRO newspaper reported on Wednesday.

At the time, it said, US military chiefs had hoped to launch a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union during the height of Cold War tensions if things escalated.

But less than a decade after it was built, the base was abandoned in 1967 after researchers realized the glacier was moving.

Now, the sprawling sub-zero tunnels have been brought back to attention in the stunning new images.

Alex Gardner, a cryospheric scientist at Nasa’s jet propulsion laboratory said: “We were looking for the bed of the ice and out pops Camp Century. We didn’t know what it was at first. In the new data, individual structures in the secret city are visible in a way that they’ve never been before.”

The underground three-kilometer network of tunnels played host to labs, shops, a cinema, a hospital, and accommodation for hundreds of soldiers.

But the icy Greenland site is not without its dangers – it continues to store nuclear waste.

Assuming the site would remain frozen in perpetuity, the US army removed the nuclear reactor installed on site but allowed waste – equivalent to the mass of 30 Airbus A320 airplanes – to be entombed under the snow, the magazine said.

But other sites around the world – without nuclear waste – could also serve as a safe haven in case of World War 3.

Wood Norton is a tunnel network running deep into the Worcestershire forest, originally bought by the BBC during World War 2 in case of a crisis in London.

Peters Mountain in Virginia, US, serves as one of several secret centers also known as AT&T project offices, which are essential for the US government’s continuity planning.

Further north in the states, Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Pennsylvania is a base that could hold up to 1,400 people.

And Cheyenne Mountain Complex in El Paso County, Colorado, is an underground complex boasting five chambers of reservoirs for fuel and water – and in one section there’s even reportedly an underground lake.