Photo from open sources
The Maidstone Museum in the UK has long been kept donated back in 1925 by one of the collectors is quite ordinary exhibit – the mummy of a falcon, once discovered in one of the tombs Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.
The only merit of this exhibit was its age – approximately 2100 years old however such mummified birds used in ancient Egypt quite often. Moreover, there wasn’t it’s known from which tomb and when this exhibit was taken, in further donated to the British Museum.
The most interesting thing is that no one has ever really understood the mummy of a falcon studied by believing the surface pattern on it, on top whose symbols were reminiscent of a falcon – hence the name is the mummy of the falcon.
A photo from open sources
And just recently, the “mummy of the falcon” was subjected to thorough scanning (micro-CT scanning allows scientists to see, and means, and carefully study the internal contents of the mummy, without removing and without violating its funerary material) along with other museum exhibits. What was the surprise of the researchers when they realized that these remains do not belong to the bird, but stillborn premature baby.
A photo from open sources
What does the participant in this study say about this? University of Western Ontario Anthropology, Canadian Bioarchaeologist Andrew Nelson (Andrew Nelson):
It turned out that this child was still suffering in the womb such a rare ailment as anencephaly, in which they do not develop the brain and the cranium itself, which caused a miscarriage. The child was about 25 weeks old, he had already formed body, limbs, even toes and arms, but the upper part of the skull – not. In addition, he also suffered from congenital cleft lip – so called the cleft palate. Another thing is surprising: for what reason is this miscarriage was mummified? Usually, such “children” in ancient Egypt (and not only in it) just buried in pots, and only in the rarest cases did exactly as we see – mummified. Apparently the child was considered special, and his stillbirth – a worthy departure to the world of the dead …
A photo from open sources
Currently, researchers are trying to understand why the mummy the child was so strangely decorated with bird symbols, and her upper part – a falcon pattern. Scientists have already seen the image on the mummy Osiris (god of the underworld) along with Nephthys and Isis, as well as the mythical bird Ba with a human head, an eye of the widget and much another, which indicates the high position of the parents of this child, as well as on himself, he was born alive and healthy.
The results of this study became a topic of discussion. Extraordinary World Congress on the Study of Mummies, which passed on the Canary Islands.
Egypt Time Mummies Birds
