Ancient Egyptian Textiles: A Genetic Look Into 2000-Year-Old Egyptian Communities

Authors

Shaun Odell, Brigham Young University
Dr. Scott Woodward, Brigham Young University

Keywords

ancient Egypt, textiles, Egyptian communities, burial site

College

Life Sciences

Department

Microbiology and Molecular Biology

Abstract

In the mid 1980’s archeologists from BYU began excavating a 2000-year-old burial site in Northern Egypt called the Fag-el-Gamous cemetery. This cemetery contains the remains of roughly 350,000 individuals who had been buried there between 200 BC and 400 AD during the Greco-Roman period of Egyptian history. The chemical composition of the desert, as well as the hot, dry climate, naturally mummified not only the individuals of focus, but also numerous textile samples found on the mummies. Excavation of this sight has proceeded from that time, providing unique opportunities for study of ancient Egyptian culture.

Recommended Citation

Odell, Shaun and Woodward, Dr. Scott (2014) "Ancient Egyptian Textiles: A Genetic Look Into 2000-Year-Old Egyptian Communities," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 822.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/822