Researchers have used mass spectrometry-based proteomics to analyse glues, adhesives, paints and plaster from ancient Egyptian artefacts without damaging them, revealing new details about the materials used by craftsmen thousands of years ago. The technique, published in a new paper in Science Advances, matters because it offers a way to study precious, irreplaceable objects in far greater chemical detail than was previously possible, since traditional analysis methods typically require destructive sampling.

Alongside expected materials such as animal collagens and egg proteins, the team found plant proteins from sesame and moringa (drumstick tree) seeds, which held religious and symbolic significance in ancient Egypt. Samples were taken from coffins, tomb wall paintings, a mummy bust's painted plaster, and painted limestone architecture held in collections across Sweden, the UK and Denmark, dating from 1425 BCE to 400 CE. The analysis confirmed frequent use of cow glue and collagens from sheep, goats, horses, donkeys and antelope, likely produced by boiling animal skin and connective tissue, and found these materials in paint and ground layers as well as adhesives, suggesting Egyptians selected materials deliberately based on their properties.