It's exciting to see these necklaces, but it's not unexpected, Zesch said. Photos: Mummies discovered in tombs in ancient Egyptian cityīoth women were buried with multiple necklaces. In photos: 'Cachette of the priests' discovered in Luxor Photos: Ancient Egyptian cemetery with 1 million mummies She had a benign tumor in her spine known as a vertebral hemangioma, which is more common in people over 40, the researchers said. The teenager, who wore a hairpin, according to the CT scan, died between the ages of 17 and 19, and stood about 5'1' (156 cm) tall. She had advanced arthritis in her left knee. The woman, who died between the ages of 30 and 40, stood about 4'11' (151 cm) tall. Related: Photos: Canine catacomb was tribute to ancient death god

'It's very probable that those mummies were only preserved because of a kind of dehydration with the use of natron, but there is not a huge amount of embalming liquids.' 'We are quite sure there was no removing the brain or the internal organs' from these mummies, Zesch said. The woman's brain wasn't preserved either, but the teenager's was - it had shrunk, but the cerebrum and brainstem were still identifiable - and the teenager's other internal organs were also present. Two metal objects found during the CT scan are likely seals from the mummification workshop that handled his remains, Zesch said. While the man's brain was not preserved, there's no evidence it was removed through his nose. Some of his bones were broken and jumbled, probably because someone unwrapped him shortly after the mummy's discovery, the researchers wrote in the study. He stood about 5'4' inches (164 centimeters) tall, and had two unerupted permanent teeth and several cavities. However, the CT scan revealed much more about their insides.įor instance, the CT scan revealed that the male died between the ages of 25 and 30.

Della Valle acquired these mummies and brought them to Rome, making them the 'earliest examples of portrait mummies to have become known in Europe,' the researchers wrote in the study.Īfter passing through several owners, and a little worse for wear, the mummies ended up in the Dresden State Art Collections in Germany, where they were X-rayed in the late 1980s.

He learned about two stucco-shrouded portrait mummies - a man and woman - discovered by locals in Saqqara. In 1615, Pietro Della Valle (1586−1652), an Italian composer, took a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and ended up traveling through Egypt. Two of these mummies have traveled far and wide.

The mummy blue gold