Study published in Journal of the American Chemical Society used both chemical analysis and panel of human sniffers to evaluate odors from nine mummies as old as 5,000 years

A new study has revealed what ancient Egyptian mummies smell like – and the results might surprise you. Researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana looked into details about mummification practices in the ancient civilisation and found that the bodies smelled ‘woody,’ ‘spicy’ and ‘sweet’.

Even after 5,000 years in a sarcophagus, mummified bodies from ancient Egypt still smell quite nice, scientists have discovered. Researchers who examined nine mummies found that though there was some difference in the intensity of their odours, all could be described as "woody", "spicy" and "sweet".

Researchers who sniffed mummified remains in the name of science were greeted more with a blessing than a curse

Researchers who sniffed mummified remains in the name of science described them as "woody," "spicy," and "sweet," with floral notes.

A team has carried out a new study, with the help of both human noses and scientific tools, to work out how a group of mummies smell today.

Ancient Egyptian mummification techniques almost always focused on ensuring the best preservation possible. These methods developed over hundreds of years, and reflected different societal factors at those points in time.