Scans of the 'Golden Boy' mummy show that the teenager used to have a high social strata. This is evident from the layer of gold that is on his body. The mummy had 49 amulets made of gold, precious stones and precious stones which were carefully placed in and around his body. There is also other gold placed in chests and tongues.
This mummy was first discovered in 1916 in a burial used between 332 - 30 BC in Nag el-Hassay, Southern Egypt. The mummy was found equipped with a gold-plated head mask, placed inside two coffins.
Although it has been found for quite a long time, the mummy has never been opened. Until finally a recent study was conducted by archaeologists using computerized tomography (CT) scans to study the mummy.
Upon analysis, the mummy was identified as a teenage boy who clearly had a high socioeconomic status around 2,300 years ago in Ancient Egypt. It is not yet clear whether this is the mummy of a Pharaoh's child or the children of nobles and other high-ranking officials from the Ancient Egyptian kingdom.
As for physical characteristics, the sultan's mummy has a height of 128 cm. From observing the teeth, no cavities, missing teeth or disease were found, indicating that this child was very well cared for.
Scans of the 'Golden Boy' mummy show that the teenager belonged to a high social strata. Evidenced by the layer of gold that is on his body. Photo: SN Saleem, SA Seddik, M el-Halwagy
Scans of the 'Golden Boy' mummy show that the teenager belonged to a high social strata. Evidenced by the layer of gold that is on his body. Photo: SN Saleem, SA Seddik, M el-Halwagy
"Many are made of gold, while some are made of semiprecious stones, fired clay, or faience. Their purpose is to protect the body and provide vitality in the afterlife," said Dr Sahar Saleem, author of the study and a professor at the Faculty of Medicine. Medicine of Cairo University, as reported by IFL Science, Wednesday (25/1/2023).
Typical of Ancient Egyptian mummification techniques, the mummy's brain was removed through the nose and the skull pumped with resin. All of his vital organs had been removed, except for his heart which was left in his chest.
Apart from the jewelery accompanying the departure of the 'son of the pharaoh', the mummy is known to have been buried wearing a simple pair of sandals. This sandal also has a deep meaning.
"The sandals were probably meant to allow the boy to get out of the coffin. According to the ancient Egyptian ritual books of the Dead, the deceased had to wear white sandals to be pious and clean before reciting the verses," he said.