by Incredibly detailed computed tomography (CT scans) of the so-called “Golden Boy”, mummy from ancient Egypt have revealed a hidden treasure of 49 amulets, many of which were made of gold.
The young mummy earned her nickname for the dazzling display of her wealth, which included a gilded head mask found in the mummy’s sarcophagus. Researchers believe he was around 14 or 15 years old when he died because his wisdom teeth hadn’t erupted yet.
The Golden Boy was originally unearthed in a cemetery in southern Egypt in 1916 and has since been kept in the basement of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The mummy was “placed in two coffins, an outer coffin with a Greek inscription and an inner wooden sarcophagus,” according to a expression (opens in new tab).
Analyzing the scans, the researchers found that the dozens of amulets, consisting of 21 different shapes and sizes, were strategically placed on or within his body.
This included “a two-fingered amulet next to the [boy’s] uncircumcised penis, a golden heart scarab in the chest cavity and a golden tongue in the mouth,” the statement said.
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The mummy was also said to be wearing a pair of sandals, and a garland of ferns was draped around his body.
“This mummy is a showcase of Egyptian beliefs about death and the afterlife during the Ptolemaic period”, Sahar Salem (opens in new tab)the study’s lead author and professor of radiology at Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine in Egypt, told Live Science in an email.
Although researchers are unsure of the mummy’s true identity, based solely on the grave goods, they believe he was of high socioeconomic status.
The amulets played an important role in the afterlife.
“Ancient Egyptians believed in the power of amulets…and they were used to protect and provide specific benefits to both the living and the dead,” Saleem said. “In modern science, this is explained in terms of energy. Different materials, shapes and colors (e.g. crystals) provide energy with different wavelengths that could be present [an] effect on the body. Amulets were used by the ancient Egyptians in their lives. Embalmers placed amulets during mummification to vitalize the dead body.”
For example, the juvenile mummy’s tongue was covered in gold “to enable the deceased to speak” and the sandals “were intended to enable the deceased to walk out of the tomb within the tomb.” [afterlife]’ Salem said.
However, one amulet in particular stood out to Saleem: the golden heart scarab placed in the torso cavity. She ended up creating a replica of it using a 3D printer.
“It was really amazing, especially after 3D printing [it] and could hold it in my hands,” Saleem said. “On the back were engraved marks that could represent the inscriptions and spells the priests wrote to protect the boy during his journey. Scarabs symbolize rebirth in ancient Egyptians and [were] in the form of a discoid (disc-shaped) beetle.”
She added that the heart scarab measures about 4 centimeters and features verses from “The Book of the Dead,” an important ancient Egyptian text that helped guide the deceased into the afterlife.
“It was very important in the afterlife when judging the dead and weighing the dead heart against the pen of Maat (the goddess of truth),” said Saleem. “The Heart Scarab silenced the heart [on] Judgment day not to testify against the deceased. A heart scarab was inserted into the torso cavity during mummification to replace the heart if the body was ever stripped [of] this important organ for some reason.”
The results were published in the journal on January 24 frontiers of medicine (opens in new tab).
