Scientists at Macquarie University in Australia have found that an ancient Egyptian mummy from the 20th dynasty of the pharaohs, found in the 19th century, was enclosed in a mud cocoon. An unexpected find was reported in an article published in the PLOS ONE magazine.
A similar feature is sometimes found in mummies from the late New Kingdom, before the 21st dynasty (1294-945 BC). A hard resinous shell served as an additional layer of protection for the body of the deceased, which belonged to a noble family. In this case, the mummy belonged to a titled woman named Merua, who lived three thousand years ago.
Researchers scanned the body using computed tomography and found that the woman was approximately 26-35 years old. Although the internal organs were removed during embalming, gender was confirmed by secondary bony sexual characteristics, including the shape of the pelvic bone, jaw and skull. The results of radiocarbon dating revealed that she lived in the years 1200-1113 BC. The mummy itself was placed in a mud shell, which completely covers the integument of the body and is under linen bandages.
Shortly after the mummification, the body was damaged, after which it was covered in mud and wrapped in additional bandages. This practice has not previously been described in the scientific literature and it remains a mystery how often it was used.
