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Archaeology & History

CT scans reveal mummies that aren't human

By T.K. Randall
July 20, 2020 · Comment icon 9 comments

A depiction of Osiris, god of the Egyptian underworld. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Rama
Two Egyptian sarcophagi dating back 3,000 years have been found to contain something rather unexpected.
When scientists used a CT scanner to peer beneath the wrappings of two mummies at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel, recently, what they found inside came as quite a surprise.

The two mummies had been part of a collection at the National Maritime Museum for many years.

The smallest of the two, which was described as 'bird-like' and was thought to have represented the Egyptian god Horus, actually contained the remains of a literal bird inside - possibly a falcon.

The other, which had long been thought to contain the remains of a young child, turned out to be filled with mud and grain - most likely as an offering to Osiris, the Egyptian god of death.
The mummies may have been placed in a tomb alongside an actual human mummy to act as protection for the soul of the deceased as it made its way to the afterlife.

"In ancient Egypt, when there was a tomb created for a human being, they would place certain artefacts and even certain animals in with these mummified remains," said Marcia Javitt, director of medical imaging at Rambam Hospital.

"And birds in ancient Egypt had a very important role... because they were thought to be protectors, so they would often place them in the tombs with the Pharaohs."

"I'm not saying this bird came from the tomb of a Pharaoh but it's conceivable that it had something to do with that kind of story."



Source: Mail Online | Comments (9)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by OverSword 4 years ago
So no ancient aliens?  Dang it!
Comment icon #2 Posted by Robotic Jew 4 years ago
very misleading headline...
Comment icon #3 Posted by jethrofloyd 4 years ago
Comment icon #4 Posted by OverSword 4 years ago
So true.  
Comment icon #5 Posted by Seti42 4 years ago
I don't think a bird shaped mummy containing the remains of a bird is shocking. Maybe I'm jaded in my old age, I dunno...
Comment icon #6 Posted by preacherman76 4 years ago
Thank you for saving me the time. 
Comment icon #7 Posted by Crabby Kitten 4 years ago
I was hoping it would be something really weird. 
Comment icon #8 Posted by third_eye 4 years ago
It's uncle Ptah aten menkiri...  ~
Comment icon #9 Posted by pallidin 3 years ago
Fascinating.


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