The research, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, involved sniffing nine mummies, some dating back 5,000 years, housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Instead of the expected repulsive odors, participants described the scents as “woody”, “spicy”, and “sweet”, with hints of floral notes.

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

Few visitors wandering through the mummy galleries at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo have the opportunity—or perhaps the inclination—to smell the aromas wafting off the gilded sarcophagi and elaborately wrapped bodies of ancient Egyptian elites on display in glass cases.