A team of researchers in Poland reconstructed the face of a mysterious lady using her 2000-year-old mummy. Moreover, she was pregnant when she died.
They took help from forensic specialists through the Warsaw Mummy Project based on the shape of the skull of the mummy. It enabled them to get clues about her possible facial structure and appearance.
The images were displayed recently during an exhibition at the Museum of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. With the help of this project, researchers are hoping to give a glimpse into the lives of ancient Egyptians. Moreover, although they had clues, an artistic license is needed for creating and reconstructing facial features based on a skull.
Member of the project, Chantal Milani said,
Our bones and the skull, in particular, give a lot of information about an individual’s face. Although it cannot be considered an exact portrait, the skull like many anatomical parts is unique, and shows a set of shapes and proportions that partially will appear in the final face
The mummy is called “Mysterious Lady” and was discovered by the royal tombs of Thebes. It was of a woman in her twenties or thirties who died during the 1st century BCE. Moreover, throughout the 19th and 29th centuries people believed that the mummy belonged to a male priest. However, after subsequent investigations, it was revealed that it is a female.
Another Discovery
The researchers made another discovery through X-rays and CT scans, which revealed the presence of a mass in the lower abdomen of the female mummy. Hence, the researchers concluded they discovered the first-ever pregnant mummy from the ancient world.
Despite the discoveries after a thorough investigation, the discovery has its controversies. Some of the researchers claim that there is no evidence to substantiate this claim. Whereas some say the research is based on evidence by researchers who are not experts in medical scan analysis.
However, the Warsaw Mummy Project continues to push the case as the world’s first pregnant mummy.
The Warsaw Mummy Project added,
For many people, ancient Egyptian mummies are curiosities that are showcased in museums and inspire adventure in books, movies, and computer games. We sometimes forget that these were people like us, who had loved ones and whose deaths were personal tragedies. Mummification was an expression of the care given to preserve a person for the afterlife,
