ART AND CULTURE.

49 precious and rare jewels discovered in the mummified body of the "golden boy"

Inside and on the body of the mummy of the "golden boy", an Egyptian teenager who lived about 2,300 years ago, the skilled Egyptian embalmers had deposited 49 precious amulets of 21 different types.

This was revealed by a study, described in the journal 'Frontiers in Medicine', conducted by scientists at Cairo University.

The mummy of the "golden boy" was found in 1916 in a cemetery used between about 332 and 30 BC in Nag el-Hassay, southern Egypt. It was kept unexamined in the basement of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo until the present study.

photo Ansa
We are in Egypt
The rare jewels placed in the mummified body of a teenager who died in Egypt about 2,300 years ago have been revealed thanks to a study conducted by Cairo University. The skilled Egyptian embalmers had deposited 49 precious amulets of 21 different types.
photo Ansa
The study on the mummy
The team, led by Sahar Saleem, performed CT scans (Computed Tomography) on the boy's embalmed body. The mummy was found in 1916 in a cemetery used between about 332 and 30 BC in Nag el-Hassay, in southern Egypt.
photo Ansa
What is Computed Tomography (CT)
The Computed Tomography (CT) is a diagnostic imaging technique that allows you to examine different parts of the body for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. It is a radiological examination that involves the collection of data relating to the passage of various X-ray beams in the affected area and their reprocessing by a computer, in order to reconstruct a three-dimensional image of the different types of tissue analyzed.
photo Ansa
A perfect example of Egyptian beliefs
The young man analyzed in this survey belonged to a high-level social class. The 49 amulets buried with the mummified corpse had been carefully placed inside and on the body.
photo Ansa
Perfect symmetry
The amulets that accompany this mummy are arranged in three columns between the folds of the casings and inside the cavity of the mummy's body. Thanks to CT analysis, scholars have identified the eye of Horus, the knot of Iside and many other symbols belonging to the Egyptian tradition.
photo Ansa
Revelations about the mummy
Scans revealed that the boy was 128 centimeters tall and appears to have died of natural causes. From the degree of bone fusion and wisdom teeth not erupted, the authors estimate that the young man was between 14 and 15 years old. "Based on the results - said Sahar Saleem - the mummy was moved to the exhibition hall with the nickname 'golden boy'".
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19/04/2024
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