Archaeology & History

Egyptian mummies with gold 'tongues' unearthed

By T.K. Randall
December 11, 2021 ·  0 comments

All three were outfitted with a gold tongue. Image Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities The three mummies - a man, a woman and a child - were discovered inside two tombs at the archaeological site of Oxyrhynchus which is situated around 100 miles south of Cairo.

When they opened the tomb of the woman and child, archaeologists found that much of the contents had been removed by looters some time ago.

The burial site of the man, on the other hand, was completely untouched.

"This is very important, because it's rare to find a tomb that is totally sealed," said Esther Pons Mellado of the archaeological mission of Oxyrhynchus.All three were interred within limestone sarcophagi and the man's tomb also contained a number of artefacts including canopic jars (which would have contained his organs), amulets and beads.

Most intriguing of all however was the discovery that all three had been outfitted with 'tongues' made out of gold foil - most likely in the belief that this would have enabled them to speak to the gods in the afterlife.

While for now the identities of these three individuals remains unknown, archaeologists hope that further excavations at the site will help to reveal more about them.

Source: Live Science | Comments (0)

Tags: Egypt, Mummy