First-known pregnant mummy discovered by Researchers

The researchers of Poland recently discovered the first embalmed pregnant woman. This is the first time in the history scientists have found a foetus in a mummy. Initially the researchers thought the Mummy was a male priest.

About the Mummy

• The Mummy was first brought to Warsaw in 1826.
• It was believed to be the mummy of a male priest due to the inscription on the coffin. However, recent scans have revealed that there is a foetus in the mummy.
• The identification was made under the “Warsaw Mummy Project” by the anthropologists and archaeologists at the National Museum in Warsaw.
• This Mummy was found at the Royal Tombs in Thebes. Thebes is an ancient Egyptian city along the Nile river.
• The Mummy was dubbed as the “Mysterious Lady of the National Museum in Warsaw”. She is believed to be 20 to 30 years old.
• The scientists confirmed that the embalmed woman was pregnant when they saw the little foot and little hand. Usually, the mummification process includes removing the organs from the abdomen and chest. They are still wondering why wasn’t the foetus removed. One possibility is that it was difficult to remove the foetus from the womb without causing serious damage.

Warsaw Mummy Project

It was initiated by a group of archaeologists from the University of Warsaw in 2015. It aims to examine the animal and human mummies at the National Museum in Warsaw.

Under the project, the scientists are using X-ray, CT-scan, podoscopy and dactyloscopy to analyse the mummification methods and the state of tissue preservation. These advanced techniques helped in discovering the first pregnant mummy though she was unearthed a century ago.

Note: Podoscopy is footprint examination and Dactyloscopy is fingerprint examination

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2021