ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

PROBING THE EFFECTS OF FIRE ON EGYPTIAN MUMMIES BY NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS ON INES

Abstract: This is a pioneer neutron study on burned mummified human bones ? mummies of the Egyptian Collection of the Brazilian National Museum, damaged by fire in 2018. Neutron resonance capture and neutron activation analysis in INES will be applied, to analyse four different mummies. These include a particularly interesting Roman mummy, due to its unique mummification process (1 in 7 worldwide). This experiment is expected to deliver an accurate elemental composition of the samples for distinct burning conditions and to determine the impact of the mummification process on the heat-induced effects in bone. Understanding how fire affected these mummified bones, relying on the team´s extensive expertise in studies of these types of samples by vibrational spectroscopy, is crucial for the preservation of the Museum´s collection.

Public release date: 28 November 2028

Principal Investigator: Dr Maria Paula Marques
Experimenter: Dr David Gonçalves
Experimenter: Professor Luis Alberto Batista de Carvalho
Experimenter: Mr Victor Guida de Freitas
Local Contact: Dr Antonella Scherillo
Experimenter: Dr Murilo Bastos
Experimenter: Professor Stewart Parker
Experimenter: Miss Daniela Santos

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2500003-4

Parent DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2500003

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2500003

Part Number: 4

Date of Experiment: 26 November 2025

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
Select the data format above to find out more about it.

Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Maria Paula Marques et al; (2025): PROBING THE EFFECTS OF FIRE ON EGYPTIAN MUMMIES BY NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS ON INES, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2500003-4

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.