Successfully deciphered the tiny red face of ancient Egypt

A tiny 20-inch (52cm) mummy, dating back to 600 BC, attracted the attention of many experts over the past 40 years. Before its mystery, many people think this is a fake mummy.

The mummy is officially known by the code name W1013 , brought to Wales, United Kingdom since 1971. The mummy is only 20 inches (52cm) long, covered with a hard yellow-green striped cloth with collar. wide and red painted face.

According to ancient customs, red face paint is for men. Currently mummies are part of the Egyptian Center of Swansea University. It is believed that this mummy dates back to about 600 BC.

Tiny mummy is painted red face

For more than four decades, tiny mummies are still a mystery to mummy researchers. Many experts were confused by a mummy with an unusually small size and very delicate decorative lines.

There are even some who are skeptical of the research to try to decode small letters carved on mummies for a meaningless job for decades because it was just a fake mummy created from the century. 19.

CT images show that this could be a mummy of 12-16 weeks old fetus

However, on April 28, 2014, image specialist Paola Griffiths of the Faculty of Medicine, Swansea University analyzed mummies using a CT scanner.

Unexpected results revealed, the majority of the material inside the mummy is made of linen fabric. Inside the linen is a darker object about 10cm long. Based on that, many experts hypothesize that this is a mummy of the fetus still in the placenta pocket.

Experts also identified, with such a length, it may be the femur of the fetus suitable for ages 12-16 weeks.

Researcher Paola Griffiths, who took CT mummies

CT scans also show that in another dark area inside the mummy there is a talisman and there is a dark area like beads or tendrils.

Swansea University's Egyptian Center confirmed that what was discovered inside such mummies was not unusual. On the contrary, it is a different behavior from the West today.

Thoroughly wrapped mummies also show that the ancient Egyptians were very interested in the ill-fated little creatures

'Contrary to what is often done in the West today, it seems that the corpse of the fetus is usually well cared for in ancient Egypt. For example, two fetal coffins were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun and in New Kingdom, about 1550-1070 BC, showing that it seems that the eastern part of the tomb is reserved for for burial not only children but also fetuses and even placenta in bloody bandages ".

"We can imagine the case of W1013 being a fetus as well. It is a terrible loss for someone, a sad and desperate pain and mourning by the community ," researcher Carolyn Graves-Brown Swansea University said.