UnNews:2,500 Year-Old Chewing Gum Discovered
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| 2,500 Year-Old Chewing Gum Discovered | 
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26 June 2006
CAIRO, Egypt (Roofies) -- Egyptian archaeologists have found two ancient wads of chewing gum stuck on the bottom of a sarcophagus close to the pyramids, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities said on Sunday.
The wads of gum, made of honey, sun-cured sap from the Egyptian fernii tree and natural flavoring, were found about a kilometer south of the pyramids in Giza. They were dated to the late 26th dynasty, or about 2,500 years old, council chief Zahi Hawass said in a report by the state MENA news agency.
Hieroglyphs referring to the ancient Egyptian gods Osiris, god of wintergreen, and the mouth-god Ra were painted red, blue and green on a simple, wax-coated papyrus wrapper, about 6 centimeters square, the report said.
The name of sarcophagus' owner, Neb Ra Khatow, and ritual incantations to the gods were painted on the sarcophagus. A wreath made of the plants encircled the mummy inside.
Hawass said the gum was in good condition, and upon peeling off the wads and shoving them into his pie hole, he said they still retained a hint of wintergreen.
Sources[edit]
- Bart Mundlehaney "Gummy Mummy". American Association of Candy Technologist's Digest, June 26, 2006
- Winnington Thistlepickle "Neb Ra Khatow Confirmed Dead". CNN Headline News, June 26, 2006