Investigation of the archeological material at the molecular level can reveal the composition of ancient paint, balsamic material, reveal cooking recipes, etc. High-resolution mass spectrometry is a powerful technique with underestimated potential for archeology. Here, we present the investigation of the 3000-year-old archeological remains, identified as parts of internal organs of an Egyptian mummy, using high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry. We observed a diverse number of oxidized classes of compounds: O, O2, O3, O4, O5, N, NO, NO2, NO3, NO4, NO5, N2O, N2O2. Such chemical composition is unusual and we never observed it in our previous studies of petroleum, humic substances, products of wood pyrolysis or other natural complex mixtures. It is possible that such compounds are formed via biodegradation of lipids and other organic material used for funeral rites. We did not observe evidence of the presence of mineral bitumen, although there are many historical records of the use of mineral bitumen for mummification.

中文翻译：

---

使用超高分辨率质谱法研究考古遗迹

在分子水平上研究考古材料可以揭示古代涂料、香脂材料的成分，揭示烹饪食谱等。高分辨率质谱是一种强大的技术，但考古学的潜力被低估了。在这里，我们使用高分辨率 Orbitrap 质谱法对 3000 年前的考古遗迹进行了调查，这些遗迹被确定为埃及木乃伊内部器官的一部分。我们观察到了多种氧化类型的化合物：O、O2、O3、O4、O5、N、NO、NO2、NO3、NO4、NO5、N2O、N2O2。这种化学成分是不寻常的，我们在以前对石油、腐殖质、木材热解产物或其他天然复杂混合物的研究中从未观察到它。此类化合物可能是通过用于葬礼的脂质和其他有机材料的生物降解而形成的。我们没有观察到矿物沥青存在的证据，尽管有许多使用矿物沥青制作木乃伊的历史记录。