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.

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

The research team explained that smell was a key consideration for the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process, as pleasant odors were associated with the bodies of deities and their purity, while foul odors were considered indications of a body’s corruption and decay.