Secrets of Egyptian animal mummies revealed

20 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

New images using a non-invasive technique have revealed secrets to the contents of six ancient Egyptian sealed animal coffins, with relevant information on its manufacture and use.

Animal mummification was a widespread practice in ancient Egypt and previous research has suggested that some mummified animals were believed to be physical incarnations of deities, while others could have represented offerings to deities or been used in ritual performances.

Researcher Daniel O’Flynn and colleagues at the British Museum analyzed the contents of six sealed animal coffins using neutron tomography — a technique that creates images of objects based on the extent to which neutrons emitted from a source can pass through them. – after previous attempts to study coffins with X-rays proved unsuccessful. They publish results in Scientific Reports.

The six coffins are made of copper compounds. The authors note that it is rare for such coffins to remain sealed. Three of the coffins, topped with figures of lizards and eels as well as laces, have been dated to between 500 and 300 BC and were discovered in the ancient city of Naukratis, reports the British Museum.

A fourth coffin, topped by a lizard figure, has been dated to between 664 and 332 BC and was discovered in the ancient city of Tell el-Yehudiyeh. The other two coffins, topped with figures part eel and part cobra with human heads, they have been dated to approximately between 650 and 250 BC and are of unknown origin.

The authors identified bones in three of the coffins, including an intact skull with dimensions similar to those of a group of wall lizards containing endemic species to North Africa, as well as evidence of broken bones in two other coffins.

They also identified textile fragments inside three coffins that were possibly made of linen, which was commonly used in Ancient Egyptian mummification. They propose that the linen could have wrapped the animals before putting them in the coffins.

The authors found lead in all three coffins without ties, suggesting that lead may have been used to help distribute weight in two of them and to repair a hole found in the other. They speculate that lead was chosen for its status as a magical material in Ancient Egypt, since previous investigations had proposed that it was used in amulets and curses.

Investigators found no additional lead in the three coffins with bows. They suggest that the ties could have been used to suspend these lighter coffins from the walls of temples or shrines, or from statues or vessels used during religious processions, while the heavier lead-containing coffins without ties could have been used for others. purposes.