Mummifying Alan: Egypt's Last Secret - 4oD

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First Broadcast: Mon 24 October 2011 Channel 4

It is a mystery that has baffled scientists for centuries: how were the Ancient Egyptians able to perfectly preserve their pharaohs for millennia?

Now Channel 4 follows a team of pioneering scientists attempting to solve this 3000-year-old enigma by mummifying a body donated specifically for the purpose.

Filmed inside one of the UK's leading forensic pathology labs, the scientists want to unlock the preservation techniques used during the 'Golden Age' of Tutankhamen.

The 18th Dynasty was a time of huge cultural and political revolution, but it also marked the pinnacle of Egyptian embalming techniques. Using a secret and complex blend of ingredients and processes, priests managed to stop decomposition almost entirely.

But what were the mysterious and complex recipes they were using? Did they really understand the science behind them? And, if so, could this represent the greatest scientific achievement of Ancient Egypt?

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1. Mummifying Alan: Egypt's Last Secret Mon 24 Oct 2011
  
  It is a mystery that has baffled scientists for centuries: how were the Ancient Egyptians able to perfectly preserve…
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