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| CT scanning of the anthropogenic pregnant mummy (Source: Warsaw Mummy Project) |
A great deal of study has been and continues to be done on mummified remains of both animals and humans. The study of preserved human remains and tissues provides a wealth of information, ranging from mortuary practices, cultural values, and even health and medicine-both in the past and present. Today’s blog post addresses how the discovery of the world’s oldest anthropogenic pregnant mummy provides us new information about better understanding the past and resolving contemporary issues.
In 2021 a team of Polish researchers from the Warsaw Mummy Project announced that they had made a remarkable discovery. They had begun a massive research study of the mummies in the custody of the National Museum in Warsaw, Poland. Their goal was to employ non-invasive techniques, principally CT scanning, to document, image, and better study mummies. One of the mummies they studied had been stolen from Egypt in the early 1800s, which was common at that time due to the illicit antiquities market that led to the theft and removal of various Egyptian mummies and artifacts, and the CT scans provided a great deal of insights about the mummy and the sarcophagus.
First, they realized that the mummy was a female, not a male as originally believed based on information detailed on her associated sarcophagus. The sarcophagus identified the interred mummy was that of a high ranking male, possibly a priest. The sarcophagus mix up may have been a result of the common practices in the 19th century for illicit antiquities dealers to remove mummies from their original sarcophagi. The mummies would often be unwrapped and their burial items stolen, leading to an empty sarcophagus that needed a mummy to complete it. Alternatively, antiquities dealers who discovered a mummy in poor condition would dump and replace it with a more complete one. The mummified female’s association with a sarcophagus of a high ranking male suggests that she may have been a victim of the illegal activities that were rampant at that time. The CT scans, however, did demonstrate that she, too, was of a high rank based on the presence of various ornaments that were contained within her wrappings. This suggested that she may have been intentionally placed in the sarcophagus by the morticians as it would sometimes happen if a more appropriate sarcophagus was unavailable.
The CT scans also confirmed that the timing of the sarcophagus and the mummy were probably contemporaneous, dating to the first century B.C. This conclusion was reached based on the detailed scans that illustrated how she had been mummified. The treatment of the body and the arrangement of her limbs demonstrated that she was most likely mummified around the same time the sarcophagus was built.
What was more interesting, however, was a historic discovery. The CT scans revealed that within the mummy’s uterus was a 26-30 week old fetus, making this the first discovery of its kind: a pregnant anthropogenic mummy. The fetus had been damaged postmortem, a likely result of postmortem damage to its mother, and there was no other evidence to suggest that the fetus was manipulated by the embalmers at the time of its mother’s mummification. This caused the researchers to speculate as to reasons for this, which they hypothesized may have to do with the cultural values of the time. A fetus most likely would not have a name, and a name was an important part of being allowed entrance into the afterlife. Without a name and appropriate mummification a deceased individual would not have an afterlife, so the embalmers may have made an intentional choice to leave the fetus in the uterus to allow it to be able to accompany its mother into her afterlife. It may also have been that the embalmers were unaware of the deceased woman’s pregnancy and therefore did not intervene. At this time the lack of manipulation of the fetus is encouraging further study into Egyptian views of life, childhood, and pregnancy.
A follow up report a year later by the Warsaw Mummy Project
team provided even more exciting information about the mummy. It turned out that further study of the CT
scans of her head demonstrated her cause of death: nasopharyngeal cancer. This cancer, which originated either in the
nose or throat, was what caused her death, leading the investigators to desire
to perform minimally invasive extractions of the cancerous tissues. The reason for this is to allow modern researchers
the opportunity to study cancer in antiquity, thereby allowing them to better
understand cancer. By understanding ancient
cancerous growths there may be new avenues of discovering cures or ways of
stopping cancer before it starts. This makes the tragic death of this mummy and her child worthwhile as it can potentially save the lives of people who are living today.
Bibliography
Ejsmond, W., Ozarek-Szilke, M., Jaworski, M., & Szilke, S. (2021). A pregnant ancient Egyptian mummy from the 1st century B.C. Journal of Archaeological Science, 1-8.
Ejsmond, W., Ozarek-Szilke, M., Jaworski, M., Szilke, S., & Jaroszewska, K. (2022). Further evidence to confirm the ‘pregnant mummy’: A reply to. Journal of Archaeological Sciences.
Warsaw Mummy Project. (2022, July 12). Possible cause of death of the Pregnant Mummy. Retrieved from Warsaw Mummy Project Blog: https://blog.warsawmummyproject.com/possible-cause-of-death-of-the-pregnant-mummy
Yirka, B. (2022). Pickled fetus found inside ancient Egyptian. Phys.org, 1-4.
12 comments:
This was an interesting find. To find a pregnant female mummy gives archaeologists another view of what to expect when discovering mummified humans or any mummified creature. The investigation and discovery of cause of death help scientists today to understand our current illnesses, such as cancer and its effect on human body parts.
It was interesting to read that antiquities would replace the mummies and even empty some of the sarcophaguses. It was also interesting to read that the mummy's baby was also still intact it shows how well Egyptians were able to preserve remains. Renn Bullard
Following up on this post I find it fascinating of how we can see the early start of what I believe is described as modern day "grave robbing". However I was intrigued by the fact they would replace bodies amongst sarcophagus's, it makes me wonder just how many have been swapped, despite all the extra effort it must have took. An everyday intriguing factor for me is how many pieces come together with all types of outside parties coming into play. Scientist being able to preserve the body while also having the freedom to take samples and preform testing to ultimately find cancer is mind blowing. Articles in this ones similarity will forever keep my mind wandering on just how much still remains undiscovered.
- Kennedi W.
This was an neat and kneadable post and I've always thought the mumification process is interesting and fascinating. It was intriguing to find that she had a baby and that the baby was still intact. It is also cool how CT scans of these mummified preserved bodies can give so much insight and history to the person and their life.
- Keira Robinson
Reading this article as opend my eyes. Ive always heard of the stories of Mummies. Mostly male mummies but also the one female story of Cleopatra but this story was different. Understanding the afterlife situation and if the baby is not named they will not make it to the after life is pretty cool information to receive. But with a year update hearing that this female mummy passed from a cancer I never heard of was very interesting. I have a deep interest with learning information that most people brushes under the rug because they don’t think it’s true. This really opened my eyes and brought more interest to read more!
-Mauriah Taylor
Sabthana R.
This article was fascinating from start to finish. This is the first time that I had ever heard of a mummy having been pregnant with the fetus still being untouched. It is unfortunate that grave robbing/tampering was common during this time and that she was also stolen from her original resting place and placed into a man's sarcophagi. The only positive factor to come from this is the fact that researches were able to study into the cancer cells that ultimately led to her death, and try to understand and try to prevent any possibilities of it happening again.
This article is very informative. The fact that using modern day technology helped figure out how long this woman was pregnant to me is amazing. The part about if you do not having a name you would not be welcome into the afterlife. I found that the most interesting because the baby was still inside the mother so how does it work that way? Also the fact that they figured out that she have nasopharyngeal cancer after all this time and can use it to help with studying this form of cancer is amazing.
-Jada Johnson ANT 310
I’ve always found it so interesting how you can learn so much from a corpse. In this article the mummy was pregnant and that intrigued me to learn more on the subject. The first thing I learned from this article was that originally this mummy was said to me a male. Anthropologist believed that there could have been a mix up with another mummy. The mummy had a 26-30 week old fetus in her uterus, this was very interesting to learn. The fetus being that it was still in her tummy was assumed to not have a name and in many cultures that means you can’t enter the after life which resulted in the anthropologists to believe that this is why the fetus was still in the mummy’s stomach.
Christa White
I would have to agree, this is indeed a historical find. Not only due to the fact that the mummy was pregnant, which contributes to the overall rarity, but also because the study of the mummy's cancerous tissues could yield more insight into the matter for today. I am also curious as to what discussions the embalmers would have had if they had realized that the woman was pregnant. I understand the theory that the fetus was left in to accompany the mother in the afterlife. My question is, would that have been the embalmers following procedure for that particular scenario or was it a decision made in the moment due to the lack of established procedure in said event?
-Trey Sestak
That's really interesting. The study of preserved human remains and tissues provides a wealth of information, ranging from mortuary practices, cultural values, and even health and medicine-both in the past and present. The discovery of the world's oldest anthropogenic pregnant mummy provides us new information about better understanding the past and resolving contemporary issues. The use of non-invasive techniques, principally CT scanning, to document, image, and better study mummies is a great way to learn more about them.
Alondia Gray
I was shocked and also surprised that the discovery of the world’s oldest anthropogenic pregnant mummy by the Warsaw Mummy Project is a testament to the power of modern technology in unearthing new insights about our past.
-Ahmesha Johnson
This post was very interesting to me. I was particularly impressed by the details revealed by the CT scans, which provide a new perspective on past cultural values and burial practices. The discovery of the mummy of a pregnant woman is in itself a remarkable find and will hopefully lead to further research on how it reflects ancient Egyptians' beliefs about life and the afterlife.
It was also very interesting that subsequent research has revealed that she died of nasopharyngeal cancer, which could be useful for modern cancer research. I felt that it is also important to look at how such archaeological discoveries affect modern society, as understanding ancient diseases can lead to new discoveries and treatments in modern medicine. I was impressed by the idea that the discovery of these mummies may provide clues to saving lives not only in the past but also in the future.
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