Magic powders

protoscientific medical treatment and navigational aid

thumb|Natural asphalt/bitumen from the Dead Sea thumb|Apothecary vessel of the 18th century with inscription MUMIA thumb|Egyptian mummy seller (1875, Félix Bonfils) thumb|Wooden apothecary vessel with inscription "MUMIÆ", Hamburg Museum Mummia, mumia, or originally mummy referred to several different preparations in the history of medicine, from "mineral pitch" to "powdered human mummies". It originated from Arabic mūmiyā "a type of resinous bitumen found in Western Asia and used curatively" in traditional Islamic medicine, which was translated as pissasphaltus (from "pitch" and "asphalt") in