"Reviving" Beauty into Thebes - The World's Most Unique Double Mummy

Polish forensic experts used two independent methods to "penetrate" the thick white ice of a 2,100-year-old mummy, bringing the portrait of a young Egyptian noblewoman back to the world once again.

The Warsaw mummy belongs to a mysterious 20-year-old woman who lived in the 1st century BC, in the glorious ancient Egyptian city of Thebes.

“Beauty of Thebes” rests in a beautiful coffin that was once mistaken for a priest – Photo: WARSAW MUMBAR PROJECT

During the years since she was excavated in the 19th century, sold through several owners before returning to Poland – the country that legally bought and owned it – she was mistaken for the priest Hor-Djehuti, for until the shocking X-ray results: A fetus is embalmed right in the abdomen.

To be embalmed, she had to be a noble. But exactly who she is, what she looks like, remains a mystery.

Therefore, scientists from the Warsaw Mummy Project – Poland decided to “virtual examination” of the mummy by X-ray and CT scan, giving 2 independent data sets.

This data and with many documents on anthropology, ethnography, History… were combined, helping the artists to reconstruct the two most possible portraits of the mysterious Thebes beauty.

In both portraits, the mysterious woman has typical Egyptian features with warm brown skin, sharp black or brown eyes, dark eyebrows, curly hair.

Two living portraits of the Warsaw Mummy – Photo: WARSAW MUMBAR PROJECT

“Facial reconstruction should not be considered an exact portrait of the individual. However, it is based on the principle that the skull – like most anatomical structures – has its own details, proportions and shape. and will manifest itself on soft tissues, adding personalized features to the final look,” explains forensic expert Chantal Milani, project member.

Forensic expert Hew Morrison added to Live Science: “In a historical context, this process helps to bring the deceased back to life in a symbolic way, thereby fostering respect and sensitivity for them. , while being the subject of research or exhibition in museums”.

The Warsaw Mummy is a unique mummy and is of interest to scientists around the world.

An X-ray examination in 2021 and published as a scientific study in the Journal of Archeology Science has revealed a 26-30 week old fetus that was mummified inside the body of the Warsaw mummy, not only that. not a woman, but also the only known “double mummy” in the world.