Ancient mummy found buried in a strange cocoon never seen by archaeologists

the discovery surprised archaeologists, who did not expect to find the deceased enclosed in a shell of hardened mud

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

A strange cocoon, a shell of mud enveloped one mummies dating back to ancient Egypt. The discovery surprised archaeologists, who did not expect to find the deceased encased in a hardened mud shell.

For the authors it is an unparalleled discovery that concerns

"A mortuary treatment not previously documented in the Egyptian archaeological record," wrote the researchers in the study, published in the journal PLOS One.

Like many ancient Egyptian mummies, the "mud mummy" and its coffin with lid were purchased in the 1800s from a Western collector, in this case Sir Charles Nicholson, an English-Australian politician who brought them to Australia. Later, Nicholson donated them to the University of Sydney in 1860 and today they are kept at the University's Chau Chak Wing Museum. But it appears that whoever sold the artifacts deceived Nicholson; the coffin is younger than the body buried inside.

Since then there have been numerous studies on this mysterious mummy. The question that many are asking is: why was this individual covered in mud instead of resin?

According to lead study researcher Karin Sowada, from the Department of History and Archeology at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, it is possible that the "mud pack" was used to stabilize the mummy after damage but the mud could also be It was conceived to emulate the practices used by society's elite, which were sometimes mummified with resin-based materials from the late New Kingdom to the 1294st Dynasty (circa 945 BC to XNUMX BC), the researchers said.

"Mud is a cheaper material," said Dr Sowada. But the strange coating is not the only peculiarity of this mummy. Dated around 1207 BC, it was damaged after death and was even buried in the wrong coffin, actually intended for a more recently missing woman.

Ancient mummy found buried in a strange cocoon never seen by archaeologists

©PlosOne/Chau Chak Wing Museum and Macquarie Medical Imaging

"Local traders likely placed an unrelated mummified body in the coffin to sell a more complete 'set', a well-known practice in the local antiquities trade," the researchers wrote in the study.

The coffin is engraved with a woman's name - Meruah or Meru (t) ah - and dates from around 1000 BC, according to the iconography that decorates it, meaning it is around 200 years younger than the mummy inside. . Although the individual is not Meruah, anatomical clues suggest it may be a woman who died between the ages of 26 and 35.

After her death, the woman was mummified and wrapped in cloth. Then, her remains, including her left knee and lower leg, were damaged in "unknown circumstances", possibly by grave robbers, probably within a generation or two of her first burial.

Whoever repaired the mummy prepared a complicated dough by creating a batter of mud, sand and straw between the layers of linen wrappers.

"The mud was apparently applied in sheets while it was still moist and pliable," Sowada said. "The body was wrapped with linen wraps, the carapace was applied and then other wraps were applied."

Subsequently, the mummy was again damaged, this time on the right side of the neck and head. As this damage affects all layers, including the muddy shell, it appears this damage was more recent and prompted the insertion of metal pins to stabilize the damaged areas at that time.

Although this "mud mummy" has many peculiarities, it is not the only ancient Egyptian mummy subject to post mortem repairs. King Seti I's body was wrapped more than once, as were the remains of King Amenhotep III (King Tut's grandfather).

As for the woman's mud carapace, "this is a very new discovery in Egyptian mummification," Sowada said. "This study helps build a larger and more nuanced picture of how the ancient Egyptians treated and prepared their dead."

Sources of reference: ScienceAlert, PlosOne