Last year, archaeologists presented an incredible first: the discovery of a mummified fetus within the abdomen of an ancient Egyptian mother.
The Mysterious Lady is a name given to a woman who died over 2,000 years ago. The fetus was preserved. According to new research by the Warsaw Mummy Project, the preservation occurred because of the acidification of the woman's body.
The process is akin to peeling an egg, according to the researchers.
The fetus remained in the uterus and began to pick up things. The research team, led by bio-archaeologist Marzena Oarek-Szilke of the University of Warsaw in Poland and archaeologist Wojciech Ejsmond of the Polish Academy of Sciences, say that it is not the most aesthetic comparison, but conveys the idea.
Concentrations of ammonia and formic acid increase with time as the blood pH in corpses falls. The placement and filling of the body with natron made it difficult to get air and oxygen. The uterus was almost sealed to contain the fetus.
The question as to whether the fetus they found was actually a fetus was posed by a radiologist from Cairo University in Egypt. She noted that the identification of a fetus must be difficult because no bones could be found in the scans of the mummy.
Oarek-Szilke and her team argue. It is difficult to detect fetal bones in the first place after they have undergone preservation processes. Fetal bones are hard to find.
The fetal bones would have been demineralized by the acidifying processes that would have taken place inside the corpse of the Mysterious Lady.
It's similar to the natural process of mummification that takes place in the acidic environment of the peat bogs.
A is the head and B is the hand on the fetus. J. Archaeol is written by Ejsmond et al. The year 2022.
The researchers say that the process of bone demineralization can be compared to an experiment with an egg. Imagine putting an egg into a pot filled with acid. The eggshell is dissolving, leaving the inside of the egg and minerals in the acid.
The Mysterious Lady's body is different from the fetus's because they mummified differently. The ancient Egyptians used a naturally occurring salt mix called natron to dry out and kill parasites. The fetus was mummified in the acidic environment.
The higher-than- expected mineral content would have been deposited in the soft tissues of the fetus itself and the uterus around it. The tissues would have higher radio density in the scans.
The results suggest that other pregnant mummies may be hiding in plain sight. Scans of mummies are used to identify bones and amulets. Other mummies might be identified by looking at soft tissues.
The fetus was left intact when the Mysterious Lady's other internal organs were removed for the mummification process.
Oarek-Szilke told Science in Poland that it may have something to do with beliefs and rebirth in the afterlife. We don't know if this is the only pregnant mummy. It is the only known pregnant Egyptian mummy.
The woman did not die in childbirth because of the position of the fetus and the closed birth canal. The Mysterious Lady was between the ages of 20 and 30 when she died, and her baby was between 26 and 30 weeks.
The Mysterious Lady died with the unborn child, and by examining her, we can restore their memory.
It was a long-lived person who was loved and had dreams. She has revealed the secrets she took with her to the grave.
The Journal of Archaeological Science has published the research.
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