The composition of resins of seven ancient Egyptian mummies from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts was studied. n-Alkanes were found in the resins by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, which suggests the presence of natural bitumen in these resins. By comparing the hydrocarbon profiles of the studied mummies with the profiles of n-alkanes from mummy resins, reported in publications, the bitumen of the Dead Sea basin was identified. Concentrations of some trace elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry; vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum were found in the resins of five mummies. The identification of bitumen (its origin) by the relative concentrations of these elements was proposed.

We investigated 53 coniferous wood samples and 77 deciduous wood samples of trees in the central Russia by single-reflection attenuated total reflection IR spectroscopy. The characteristic absorption bands in the IR spectra of the samples are described, and the regions of absorption bands characteristic of coniferous and deciduous wood are identified. Characteristic differences in the spectra of coniferous and deciduous wood species suitable for their identification are found. Wood species of three archaeological materials were identified using these characteristic differences.