All countries /Egypt/ Egyptian mummies
Egyptian mummies
A mummy is a body preserved by embalming. A mummy is a body (not only of a person, but also of any other living creature) that has been subjected to special chemical treatment, as a result of which the process of tissue decomposition stops or slows down. The word “mummy” first appears in European languages (Byzantine, Greek and Latin) around the year 1,000. It comes from the Persian word “mum” (“wax”). The word “mumia” was used by Arab and Jewish medieval healers to designate a special medicine. The ancient Egyptians themselves called mummies “sahu”.
Ancient Egypt is probably the most famous civilization of the ancient world that made mummies from the dead. In the popular consciousness, the mummies of the pharaohs are most associated with Ancient Egypt, which attract interest with their mystery and belonging to the cult of death.
The ancient Egyptians believed that after death a person goes to the afterlife. Therefore, the bodies of the richest and most influential residents of the country were necessarily mummified after death. This was done with pharaohs, high priests, and aristocrats. The process of processing a corpse was full of various subtleties that were known only in Ancient Egypt.
Superstitious residents of the African country believed that the mummies of the pharaohs helped their owners to go unhindered to the afterlife. IN mass consciousness There was a strong belief that rulers were of divine origin, this made their connection with supernatural phenomena even closer. In addition, the mummies of the pharaohs were buried in special tombs - pyramids. This style of architecture was a uniquely Egyptian invention. Nothing like this was built then either in the Mediterranean or in Mesopotamia. The most famous are
Mummification
The Egyptians believed that death was a transition to another world where the dead would need their bodies. To prevent the body from decomposing, it was subjected to special treatment - embalming. The result was a mummy that was preserved for thousands of years. Embalming was very expensive, therefore, the highest quality services were available only to the rich. Mummies were also made from the bodies of sacred animals - monkeys, cats and crocodiles. The mummy was placed in several wooden coffins, nested one inside the other, and placed in a stone sarcophagus.
Mummification was considered the destiny of the elite, but, in fact, it could be bought if a person wanted to ensure a quiet stay in the afterlife, and also if he had enough money for this. But there were also procedures available only to pharaohs and members of their family. For example, only their organs were placed in special vessels (canopic jars).
The masters who engaged in mummification were privileged members of society. They knew the science of embalming, inaccessible to others. Over the centuries of the existence of Egyptian civilization, these secrets never became known to other peoples.
The embalmer offered the relatives of the deceased several methods of mummification, and those, based on 
their financial condition, choose the most acceptable one. After all the conditions were discussed, the craftsmen got to work. The mummification process was carried out not by one “master”, but by a whole team.
The ancient Egyptians considered the heart to be the most important part of the human body. And the brain seemed to them an absolutely useless organ. “First, they remove the brain through the nostrils with an iron hook. This method removes only part of the brain, the rest by injecting dissolving drugs. Then, with a sharp Ethiopian stone, an incision is made just below the abdomen and the entire abdominal cavity is cleared of the entrails. Having cleaned the abdominal cavity and washed it with palm wine, the masters then clean it again with ground incense. Finally, they fill the womb with clean, crushed myrrh, cassia and other incense (except frankincense) and sew it up again. After this, the body is placed in soda lye for 70 days. However, the body cannot be left in the lye for more than 70 days. After this 70-day period, they wash the body, wrap it in a bandage made of fine linen cut into ribbons and smear it with gum (it is used instead of glue)” (Herodotus, 2.86).
This is the first and best method of embalming as described by Herodotus. The second, cheaper one, is as follows: “Using a washing tube, cedar oil is injected into the abdominal cavity of the deceased, without, however, cutting the groin or removing the entrails. They inject oil through the anus and then, plugging it so that the oil does not flow out, place the body in soda lye on a certain number days. On the last day, the oil previously poured into it is released from the intestines. The oil is so strong that it decomposes the stomach and entrails, which come out along with the oil. Soda lye decomposes the meat, so that only skin and bones remain from the deceased” (Herodotus, 2.87).
The third method, intended for the poor, is even simpler: “Radish juice is poured into the abdominal cavity and then the body is placed in soda lye for 70 days. After this, the body is returned to its relatives” (Herodotus, 2.88).
Organs removed from the corpses of pharaohs and members of their families were not thrown away or destroyed. They were also preserved. After removal, the organs were washed and then immersed in special vessels with balm - canopic jars. In total, each mummy was given four canopic jars. The canopic lids, as a rule, were decorated with the heads of four gods - the sons of Horus: Hapi, who has the head of a baboon; Duamutef, with the head of a jackal; Quebehsenuf, who has the head of a falcon, and Imset, who has a human head. Certain organs were placed in certain canopic jars: Imset stored the liver, Duamutef the stomach, Kebeksenuf the intestines, and Hapi contained the lungs.
The organs in the vessels were stored next to the mummy's sarcophagus. The secrets of the pharaohs were buried with their bodies. All personal belongings were placed in the tomb, which, according to the religious conviction of the ancient Egyptians, would also serve their owners regularly in the other world. The same thing happened with the organs that were supposed to return to the pharaohs when they found themselves on the other side of existence.
The mummies of the pharaohs of Egypt were also treated by cosmetologists and hairdressers. At the last stage, the body was covered with a special oil made from wax, resin and other natural ingredients. During mummification, the deceased retains his lifetime facial features. Many Egyptians kept their dead relatives at home, and, since they were well preserved, admired them.
Members of the same family, as a rule, had their own tomb, which became the family crypt. The ancient capital of Egypt was the city of Thebes. It is in its place that the famous Valley of the Kings is located. This is a vast necropolis in which many mummies of the pharaohs were kept. The valley was discovered almost by accident by the scientist brothers Rasul during their expedition in 1871. Since then, the work of archaeologists here has not stopped for a single day.
Mumiyo is mine
The value of a mummy lies in the jewels that surround it and the historical significance, from understanding the embalming process to genetic research. But, some time ago, mummies represented another rather strange interest...
Mumiyo is an organo-mineral product of alternative medicine of natural origin. Mumiyo resembles that thick black composition that the Egyptians used to embalm the bodies of the dead from the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. Since the demand for this remedy was very great, in later times the hardened mass began to be cleaned from skulls and remains of bones, scraped out of body cavities and processed. In case of acute deficiency, there was no need to be scrupulous: the mysterious embalming agent was smeared along with dried muscle fibers and skeletal remains. Mumiyo obtained in this way could be supplied in large quantities.
Mumiyo was the name of an earthen, or rather mineral, resin known under the Greek name “asphalt”. It was highly valued as a remedy for various types of bodily ailments. But rare raw materials were clearly not enough. This craft of mumiyo began the monstrous robbery of Egyptian tombs. At first it was about a universal remedy, then pure devilry began. The extract extracted from mummies was not cheap. Enterprising merchants of Alexandria made sure that mumiyo became an important export item to Europe. They hired whole crowds of Egyptian peasants to excavate necropolises. Merchant corporations exported ground human bones to all corners of the world - and made good money.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, mumiyo became a common remedy sold in pharmacies and medicinal herbal shops. When raw materials again became scarce, they began to use the corpses of executed criminals, the bodies of those who died in almshouses or dead Christians, drying them in the sun. This is how “real mummies” were made! In addition, gangs of robbers stole freshly buried bodies from graves, dismembered them and boiled them in cauldrons until the muscles were separated from the bones; an oily liquid dripped from the cauldron and, poured into bottles, was sold for huge sums of money to the Frankish merchants. According to documents, in 1420, the city judge of Cairo ordered the flogging of several grave desecrators until they admitted that they had dismembered human corpses and, in a kind of “pharmaceutical lard,” processed them into a marketable medicine. And in 1564, the French doctor Guy de la Fontaine from Navarre discovered piles of bodies of slaves in the warehouse of one of the merchants in Alexandria, which were intended for processing into the notorious drug.
Egyptian authorities tried to put an end to the trade in corpses by passing a law. However, no regulations have been able to curb the export of mumiyo. The profits were so high and tempting that transports with large loads of mumiyo (mummies) continued to cross the Mediterranean Sea and reach Europe.
Over the centuries, dozens of recipes have been cited for making medicines using, for example, a quarter ounce of powder from a mummy or a piece of its burial cloth. Magical recommendations were also given: the mummy’s hand, lying in a box made of Lebanese cedar, protects the house and property from misfortune, and the nail from the mummy’s middle finger, worn around the neck in a silk bag, ensures the friendly attitude of others.
Among the goods brought from Egypt to Europe, mummies were considered the most expensive. Ivory, precious stones, gold and Chinese silk were less valuable. True, when more ancient remains began to be found in Egypt, prices for them decreased.
Mummies were very difficult to transport. The crew often began to protest loudly, threatening to abandon the ship - the sailors were afraid of the death of the galley and other misfortunes. Sometimes, however, prayers and sprinkling mummies with holy water helped. According to the stories of many sailors, ghosts in ancient Egyptian robes appeared on board sailing ships trying to take the remains of ancient inhabitants out of Egypt, and angry voices were heard in the roar of the storm, shouting curses in an incomprehensible language.
The captain of the French galley La Belle Laurence, which in 1729, by order of a certain Marseilles collector, was transporting two sarcophagi with mummies, upon arrival swore that during the entire two-week journey in front of the ship, misty figures glided along the waves - an elderly man and a young woman in flowing clothes.
Charlatans and pharmacists dissolved the remains of mummies in wine vinegar and vegetable oils and made ointments that supposedly helped with pneumonia and pleurisy. The French doctor Savary believed so much in the healing power of this drug that he considered it proven that only completely black and pleasantly smelling mummies have a positive therapeutic effect. Kings, princes and ordinary townspeople continued to search for the drug, which was rumored to have fabulous properties. People no longer saw the difference between the natural medicine of antiquity and the disgusting mixture that was sold on the market. Mumiyo became synonymous with mummies, and mummies themselves remained the basis for the manufacture of medicines until the 19th century.
The dead, both ordinary and noble, were dragged out of the tombs, torn to pieces while still in the burial chambers; They were first turned into dust and ashes, and then, in sealed porcelain vessels, they were sent to the international market. Thus, the remains of those who lived during the era of the pharaohs were exported from Egypt in unlimited quantities. They became unwitting victims of scientific research and superstitions associated with magic. Perhaps such superstitions have not been eliminated to this day. For example, in some American pharmacies, you can still buy several ounces of a mixture of “real” mumiyo.
Cheops mummy
One of the most famous is the mummy of Pharaoh Cheops. His figure was famous 
ancient historians, including Herodotus. This pharaoh was truly great, even in comparison with his predecessors and successors, because the names of many pharaohs were not preserved at all in any historical source.
Cheops was a despot who severely punished his subjects for any mistake. He was merciless towards his enemies. This character was familiar to the rulers of Ancient Egypt, whose power, as contemporaries believed, came from the gods, which gave the pharaohs carte blanche for any whims. At the same time, the people did not try to resist. Also, Cheops became known for fighting in the Sinai Peninsula against the Bedouins.
But the greatest achievement of this pharaoh is the pyramid that was built for his own mummy. The rulers of Egypt prepared for their death in advance. Already during the life of the pharaoh, the construction of his pyramid began, where he was supposed to find eternal peace. However, the Cheops pyramid amazed all contemporaries and distant descendants with its size. The lost mummy of an Egyptian pharaoh was kept inside a huge labyrinth of corridors, inside a structure 137 meters high. Cheops himself chose the location of his tomb. It became a plateau on the territory of the modern city of Giza. In his era, this was the northern edge of the cemetery of ancient Memphis, the capital of Egypt.
Together with the pyramid, a monumental sculpture of the Great Sphinx was created, which is known throughout the world no worse than the pyramid itself. Cheops hoped that over time a whole complex of ritual structures dedicated to his dynasty would appear on this site.
Mummy of Ramses II
Another great pharaoh of Egypt was Ramses II. He ruled almost his entire long life (1279 - 1213 
BC). His name went down in history thanks to a series of military campaigns against his neighbors. The most famous conflict is with the Hittites. The warlike pharaoh also went down in history as a great peacemaker. When he was tired of skirmishes on the border with the Hittites, he concluded the first peace treaty known in the history of mankind: by an alliance with another power, he established peace for 50 years. Ramses built a lot during his lifetime. He founded several cities, most of which were named after him.
Ramses, despite his many royal duties, also found time for his wives. And there were at least six main ones and a dozen just spouses and concubines, who brought him about a hundred children. As a teenager, Ramses received a whole harem as a gift from his father. The pharaoh himself recalled this with gratitude: “He made sure that my harem was as beautiful as his own.” And my father’s choice turned out to be good. Obviously, of these first consorts, one turned out to be special - for 25 years Nefertari remained the embodiment of charm, friendliness and love and, as the pharaoh himself swore, his most trusted confidante. And it was she who gave birth to the first son of Amonherkhopeshef, whose hot blood manifested itself at the age of five, during a military campaign.
But Nefertari had to share her husband with her rivals, to whom the pharaoh often bestowed his favor while fulfilling his diplomatic duty. The loving Ramses shared his bed with his closest relatives. At least one of his sisters and two daughters were legally married to him. And the daughter Meri-Tamun, apparently, after the death of her mother Nefertari, took her place as the Great Queen.
Ramses II was probably over 90 when he died in the 67th year of his reign. X-rays of the mummy convincingly show that his body was affected by arthritis and that the elderly pharaoh lived for a long time in severe insanity. But he didn't want to die. Ramses outlived twelve heirs. The thirteenth son, Merenptah, was already 60 years old at the time of his father’s death - the eldest, but still a living son. As the new pharaoh, Merenptah led a procession that headed to the tomb that had long been prepared for his father in the Valley of the Kings...
Unlike the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom, who found rest in tombs near the pyramids, the rulers of the New Kingdom built their necropolis on the slope of Mount Kurn - carved into the rocks, with well-hidden entrances and false passages inside. In the darkness, and with an imperceptible stone threshold, thousand-year-old tombs with luxurious ornaments, statues, sarcophagi and treasures awaited their explorer. Thus, the family mausoleum of Pharaoh Ramses II was discovered in the Valley of the Kings. In a huge tomb, the ancient Egyptians apparently buried 52 sons of Ramses, heirs to the throne, many of whom were survived by their own father. Here, apparently, all the offspring of the pharaoh, who during their lifetime suffered from their powerful, imperious and tenacious father and all the time quarreled with each other over his inheritance, were finally united in death.
“This was the tenth, last and most terrible plague of Egypt, which the God of the people sent - all the firstborn in Egypt must die, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave girl who is at the millstones.”
First, the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses was placed in the crypt of his own father. It is not known exactly when it was plundered, but eventually the priests found a new place for the body. It was a carefully hidden cache that belonged to Pharaoh Herihor. Mummies from other tombs robbed by robbers were also placed there. These were the bodies of Thutmose III and Ramses III.
In 1881, the intact mummy of Ramses II fell into the hands of scientists. When they unwrapped the body, which had remained under a tight shroud for three thousand years, some muscle in it straightened - and in front of the scientists, the pharaoh raised his hand. This was the last royal gesture of the great Ramses. In 1975, the remains were subjected to a unique modern conservation procedure that preserved a surviving artifact of the past. The greatest of the pharaohs - now Museum exhibit. His withered body is on display in a glass case at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The Egyptian Museum of Cairo is a real accumulation of antiquities and mumouys. There are always a lot of people there. On one of the usual hot days, when the stuffiness enveloped the halls of the museum, after sunset the electric light in the building was turned on. And then the irreparable happened. A drawn-out sound was heard from the sarcophagus where the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II was kept. The hinges of the tomb creaked. And then those present saw a picture that made everyone tremble. The mouth of the king's mummy was twisted with an inaudible scream. The body trembled, the embalming bandages burst, and the arms crossed on the chest straightened, hitting the glass lid of the sarcophagus with force. The fragments scattered in different directions. People rushed up the stairs in panic, and some of the guests jumped out the window.
In the morning press all the circumstances of this shocking event were discussed with gusto. However, the Ministry of Antiquities in its comments indicated that, in fact, the explanation for such strange “behavior of the mummy” is quite simple. The crowd of people in the hall created unbearable stuffiness and humidity. And the mummy should be kept in the dry air of a cool tomb.
Whatever the climatic conditions, the mummy froze, turning his head in a northern direction - towards the Valley of the Kings. The broken glass was soon replaced. The hands were swaddled, as before, in a cross-shaped position. However, the face of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt remained turned to the north.
Tutankhamun's mummy
But the mummy of Tutankhamun is most famous. This pharaoh ruled at a young age from 1332 to 1323 BC. 
ad. He died at the age of 18 - 20 years. During his lifetime, he did not stand out in any way among his predecessors and successors. His name became known due to the fact that his tomb was untouched by ancient looters.
Who was the last person the pharaoh's almond-shaped eyes saw before closing forever? Scientists who have studied Tutankhamun's mummy are inclined to believe that he died violently. Scientists took about 50 x-rays of the head of the pharaoh's mummy, which has been perfectly preserved to this day. The photographs clearly show that the bones of the skull are unusually thin in the ear area. This gave reason to believe that one or even several blows were struck in this exact place. Most likely, scientists suggest, Tutankhamun actually received a blow to the temple with some kind of blunt object, say, a wooden gong hammer. But he only stunned him. Then came the second blow, fatal for the pharaoh, who before this, it seems, had been prudently drugged. However, even then the mortally wounded Tutankhamun tried to rise. He was given strength by a reflex developed by the ancient Egyptians, associated with the belief that the victim must see his killer before death, so that her ghost, having parted with her bodily shell, would relentlessly pursue the tormentor. But who could dare to kill the pharaoh?
Tutankhamun's wife, 16-year-old Akhnesepaaten, apparently, after all, sincerely loved her husband. One of the evidence of this is the bouquet of modest wildflowers she placed in the sarcophagus of the deceased, which, having lain there for over three thousand years (!!!), appeared intact before the admiring eyes of the scientists who discovered this only unplundered tomb. And yet, love is love, and politics is politics. Ankhesenamun was the daughter of the famous reformer pharaoh Akhenaten and his equally famous beautiful wife Nefertiti. The period of Tutankhamun's reign was the time when Egypt emerged from the civil war caused by the struggle between two religious movements. The murder of Tutankhamun was, apparently, the last desperate attempt by Akhenaten’s supporters to assert themselves and try to regain power. But this is only one of the possible versions of the death of the young pharaoh.
However, the mummy of the Egyptian pharaoh itself refutes violent death. The tomb in which she was kept was full of bottles of medicine for malaria. Modern DNA analysis has not ruled out the possibility that the young man suffered from a serious illness, due to which he died prematurely.
We got closer to the truth after studying the gene background of his family. “The artifacts showed that the kings of the 18th dynasty had an androgynous appearance and an unknown form of gynecomastia,” the scientific council announced. This conclusion was made after examining the mummy of Tutankhamun’s grandfather, his father and two stillborn children discovered in his tomb. As it turned out, two children were born from the marriage of the boy pharaoh to his half-sister Ankhesenamun.
Tutankhamun, as it turned out, suffered from a bunch of serious illnesses. He had brittle bones and wolfish 
mouth The boy had a clubfoot and was dragging his left leg - his left foot was twisted. Congenital dislocation. A more thorough scan showed that the boy was far from handsome. But it’s hard to call him a freak either. Although Tutankhamun's teeth were crooked. In addition, the pharaoh also had genetic ailments: which turned him almost into a woman - with thick thighs and the semblance of mammary glands.
Scientists from London also suggest that Tutankhamun had epilepsy. “It is assumed that the heir to the dynasty suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy, which is transmitted through the male line. People with this disease show activity and religious zeal when exposed to sunlight."
Perhaps Tutankhamun was the weakest and most infirm of the pharaohs. The clue to his state of health lay in his tomb, where about 130 walking sticks were found. It was the tomb of Tutankhamun that allowed modern science to recreate the environment in which the mummies of the pharaohs of Egypt were buried.
Curses of the Egyptian Pharaohs
The Egyptians tried to make the graves inaccessible to living people - they blocked the entrances to underground tombs with tons of rubble and stones, created false passages, and carefully disguised the real ones, setting up deadly traps. The inscriptions on the tombs threatened the curious with terrible death and deprivation of the afterlife - “their bodies will not wait for repose, punishment will fall on their descendants.” And sometimes, if the criminals knew how to read, it helped.
The mystery of the “curse of the Egyptian pharaohs,” which has haunted the minds of historians, archaeologists, doctors and simply curious people around the world for decades, still remains unsolved. Where did all this come from?
In the 60s of the 19th century, a wealthy Englishman, Douglas Murray, who was collecting a collection of unique items, bought a lid taken by “tomb robbers” from the sarcophagus of an Egyptian mummy. A couple of days after the acquisition, during a hunt, a gun exploded in Murray’s hands, and the collector lost his hand. A little later, the lid of the sarcophagus was lent by him to a private exhibition in another city and sent by ship. During those few days while she was in the hold, the unfortunate ship burned twice.
The biggest misfortune befell Murray’s acquaintance, who helped him acquire part of the sarcophagus. She received news of the death of her husband, son and two sisters during a flood in . The lady immediately went to the British colony for the funeral of her relatives, but the ship hit a reef and sank near the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1860, during excavations of the pyramid, five local residents found a tomb with the mummy of the great priestess of the temple of Pharaoh Amenemhat II Amon-Ra from the city of Great Thebes. The sarcophagus with the mummy was bought from them by four English archaeologists. The Arabs started a quarrel among themselves over the money they received, which ended in a bloody fight. They all died from the stab wounds they received. These were the first five victims of the Egyptian priestess.
An Egyptologist transporting the mummy to Cairo injured his finger on the sarcophagus, resulting in blood poisoning. Surgeons had to urgently amputate his arm to save his life (think about it, because of the scratch!). The scientist's assistant, who was involved in sending the mummy to London, soon shot himself. The third member of the archaeological expedition died of fever. The fourth was crushed in the street by a dray driver's cart...
The next owner, a London antique dealer, lost his young wife on the third day after acquiring the mummy: she died after falling from a horse. A journalist who was preparing an article about the priestess of Amon-Ra for a ladies' magazine, during a month of working on the report, a number of misfortunes occurred: her mother died, her fiancé broke off their engagement, and two young and healthy spaniels unexpectedly died. The girl fell into severe depression and refused to work on the article. Friends helped her find a Scottish witch who performed special cleansing rituals to get rid of evil spells.
The photographer, who was commissioned by the Egyptian authorities to take photographs of the priestess, went crazy. His imagination painted him terrible pictures - the priestess came to life and thirsted for the blood of the people who awakened her. To the horror of witnesses, a mask appeared on the photo negatives that did not in any way resemble the face of the Theban priestess painted on the lid of the sarcophagus. The second photographer died eight days after the shooting from sunstroke (!).
Scientists refused further research and in 1889 the fatal exhibit was transferred to the British Museum. During its transportation, one of the loaders broke his leg, and the second fell ill with some mysterious disease and after a couple of days gave his soul to God.
The object was cataloged as number 22542 and placed in the first Egyptian Hall. Soon rumors spread that the curator of the Egyptian collection of the museum, Sir Ernest Badge, who was keenly interested in magic, during one of the seances received a secret order to get rid of the mummy and preserve only the empty sarcophagus. They said that for a very long time they could not find a buyer for the remains of the priestess. It was not until 1912 that an eccentric American millionaire acquired the mummy and sent it to the New World aboard the steamer Hampshire. On the way to New York, the ship sank. There are other versions of the disappearance of the mummy. In any case, since then the sarcophagus has been empty.
In 1921, at night, in the presence of several witnesses, a ritual of exorcism was performed in the museum. But it is unknown whether he helped - almost every day those who stare too long at the image of the calm, thoughtful face of the deceased priestess faint at the glass display case with the sarcophagus. And museum workers, especially night watchmen, claim that from time to time in the corridors adjacent to the hall you can see the ghost of a woman wrapped in linen ribbons, with her hands tightly pressed to her body, easily gliding through the air...
In 1890, Professor Soren Resden from Göttingen excavated a burial place in the Valley of the Kings and immediately 
came across ominous warning: “Whoever desecrates the tomb of the temple scribe Sennar will be swallowed up forever by the sand before the moon changes its face twice.” Resden, however, continued his work, and having completed the excavations, he soon sailed from Egypt. He was found dead in the cabin - the ship's doctor stated strangulation without the use of violence. To the amazement of those present, a handful of sand spilled out of the deceased’s fist...
On April 4, 1912, one of the most grandiose ships in history, the Titanic, set sail from the shores of Southampton. He was going to New York. There were two thousand passengers on board the ship. It was led by one of the best captains, sea wolf Smith, who has an excellent reputation and has not made a single mistake in his entire career. But on this day, something unimaginable happened to him: he gave orders without being completely aware of their consequences. He ordered to increase the speed and changed the direction of the ship.
About 40 thousand kg of supplies were placed in the holds of the Titanic: vegetables, fruits, 7 thousand bags of forage, 35 thousand eggs... and one mummy of Ancient Egypt. She was transported from London to New York by Lord Canterville. The remains belonged to the famous Egyptian oracle Amenophis IV. Under the head of the mummy was a figurine of Osiris, on which were inscribed the words: “Rise from the dust and all who stand in your way will perish.” After some organizational measures, it was decided to place it near the captain’s hold. Victims of the mummy curse were known to suffer from mental confusion and delirium. Maybe it was this mummy of Ancient Egypt that became a trap for Captain Smith? After all, we all know very well what ultimately happened to the Titanic and how many people died...
In December 1993, the tomb of Pharaoh Peteti and his wife was opened in Giza. The age of the tomb was about 4,600 years. Archaeologists were attracted by the inscription: “The great goddess Hathor will twice punish anyone who dares to desecrate this grave.” These words turned out to be not an empty threat. The head of the excavations, Zaki Hawass, suddenly suffered a heart attack, which almost led to death. An earthquake destroyed the house of his fellow archaeologist, who was at an excavation site. Ultimately, the train carrying the recovered treasures derailed and most of the artifacts were completely destroyed.
But the most famous story about the curse of the mummies is associated with the misfortunes that befell everyone who was present at the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb. As is known, the leaders of the expedition, the English Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, their secretaries, servants, as well as members of their families and even dogs died under mysterious circumstances within several years after the opening of the tomb.
Over the course of several years, one by one, all the members of the expedition who carried out excavations and extracted treasures from the tomb, and those who were involved in the study of the mummy of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, died. Only 22 people. For all of them, death was equally unpredictable and fleeting. Death did not spare doctors, linguists, world-famous historians: La Flor, Callender, Winlock, Estori...
Lord Carnarvon, who financed the excavations, died on April 5, 1923, four months after visiting the tomb at Cairo's Continental Hotel from pneumonia, and almost immediately hoaxes arose around his death.
On May 16, 1923, 59-year-old American financier George Gould, who also visited the tomb, died of transient pneumonia due to a fever caught in Egypt.
On July 10, 1923, a member of the Egyptian royal family, Prince Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey, who was present at the opening of the tomb, was shot and killed by his wife.
On September 26, 1923, after dental surgery, Carnarvon's half-brother, traveler and diplomat Colonel Aubrey Gerber, died of blood poisoning.
X-ray scanning of the mummy removed from the golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun was entrusted to Archibald Juglas 
Reed. His work was carried out flawlessly and was highly praised by experts. But as soon as he arrived home, he felt a sharp attack of nausea, weakness, and after two hours of delirium he died.
On November 19, 1924, Governor General Sir Lee Stack was shot dead by a terrorist in Cairo.
On April 6, 1928, archaeologist Arthur Mace died at the age of 54. His health had gradually deteriorated since the discovery of the tomb and was the subject of media attention and speculation; it was officially stated that the explorer died from arsenic poisoning.
On May 26, 1929, Carnarvon’s younger half-brother Marvin Herbert died of “pneumonia secondary to malaria.”
On November 15, 1929, Carter's secretary, Captain Richard Bartel, died unexpectedly. A young, healthy man's heart failed. The story of the pharaoh's curse spread throughout Europe.
On 20 February 1930, Bartel's father Sir Richard, Baron Westbury, jumped from a seventh-floor window; According to some newspaper reports, a hearse carrying the baron's body crushed a boy to death on the street.
Geoffrey Dean, who holds the position of chief physician at the Port Elizabeth Hospital in, found a virus - a fungus that caused symptoms in patients: dizziness, weakness, loss of reason. Any animal, including bats, could become distributors of pathogenic microorganisms. They were the permanent inhabitants of the chambers of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. This disease is transmitted by the respiratory tract, therefore, Lord Carnarvon’s nurse soon suffered the same fate.
In 1962, after the announcement of the results of Dr. Dean's research on pathogenic bacteria, physician Ezzeddine Taha from Cairo University convened a special meeting. For a long time, Dr. Taha monitored the health of archaeologists and staff members Egyptian Museum who worked with the mummy. In their lungs, he discovered the presence of microscopic fungi Aspergillus niger, which remained closed for a long time in pyramids and tombs. The scientist concluded that one can now quite safely go in search of new treasures, since there is a vaccine against these pathogenic bacteria. Perhaps science would have known the true reasons for the death of Lord Carnarvon and the team members if he himself had not suffered the same fate: the curse killed Taha.
A deserted road in the middle of the sand between Cairo and Suez. A car passing by here is a rarity. No road markings, signs, sharp turns or descents. Dr. Taha and his two colleagues traveled along this road to Suez. An accident occurred on the road, they crashed into a limousine: all three died on the spot, the passengers and the driver of the other car were not injured. During the autopsy, an embolism was discovered in the doctor’s respiratory tract - a rupture of the vessels of the respiratory tract...
Even if we take into account the fact that fungi caused the death of Lord Carnarvon and his entourage, the circumstances of the death of other people associated with the discovery of the pharaoh's tomb remained a mystery. Scientists have also put forward a version that in Ancient Egypt there was a known recipe for preparing poison using these same microorganisms. He served as the best protector for the treasures of the tombs and the peace of the pharaohs.
But what happened to the fate of Govar Carter, who spent many years, day after day, in a stuffy crypt in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor? He was tormented by constant migraines and suffered from hallucinations. However, he lived for quite a long time after the opening of the tomb. It can be assumed that due to long contact with these bacteria, his body has developed immunity.
Along with poisonous mixtures, there were other protective agents that were used by priests in Ancient Egypt to protect burials with mummies, including in pyramids. According to the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, the essence of the human “I” was embodied in three substances: “Hat” is its physical shell, “Ba”, which personified the spiritual force, that is, the soul, and “Ka”, which represented the unity of Hat and Ba. The inner essence of each person, his Ka, is individual and unique. This principle provides a protective shell for the energy field and ensures the connection of the two principles.
Ka controls only the living body. Once a person goes to the Kingdom of the Dead of Osiris, Ka loses control and peace. In order to soften the fate of Ka, prayers were read and sacrifice rituals were performed. The appearance of the deceased was depicted on sarcophagi and tombs. They helped Ka find a new shell and incarnate in him. For this reason, Ka was tied to the burial site. The angry spirit, left without its abode, body, did not spare anyone. The ancient Egyptians firmly believed in his existence and feared his wrath. There were also those who skillfully controlled this energy, mainly priests.
This explains that it was not ordinary citizens who were engaged in robberies; they would not have dared to disturb the peace of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. The tombs were plundered by those who possessed knowledge and had the appropriate rank during the performance of religious services. They had information about the exact location of the tomb and the treasures.
Scientists have determined that Tutankhamun's tomb has already been opened. This is evidenced, as Carter himself claimed, by the royal seals. The burial site was probably discovered by Oremheb, who was the chief military commander under Pharaoh Tutankhamun in Ancient Egypt. After the death of the young king, he took his throne, continuing the dynastic line. Whether Oremheb was to blame for his death has not been proven by science. But it is known that he made every effort to erase the name of Tut from the walls of all temples and shrines. By the way, he had unlimited power over the priests. However, for an unknown reason, a few years after the opening of the tomb, the pharaoh's mummy was returned to the place where it had lain in complete solitude and darkness for several centuries.
It is known that before the closing of the tomb of the pharaohs, a ritual of bloody sacrifice was performed near it. Many slaves participating in the construction of the tomb died. They knew the entrances and exits, the location of the corridors and cells. But this was not the only reason. Their Ka essence, which did not find peace in the crypt, was bound to inevitably destroy in anger anyone who entered the tomb. But modern science is unlikely to be able to explain this ancient Egyptian religious custom...
The tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was not the only site of excavations in the Valley of the Kings. Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of walled crypts with mummies here. Did they all bear the same mark of the curse?
Archaeologist Belzoni spent several years conducting research in Luxor. Here's what he said about his work: “The Valley of the Kings or, as it is even more accurately called the “Valley of the Dead,” is one of the most mysterious, but at the same time, the darkest and most damned places on earth. We have carried out a number of works in this area, and what can I tell you. Working conditions are terrible. The stuffiness of the narrow rooms of the tombs makes it difficult to breathe. Many workers faint. And all this in heat of +45 - +60°C. Fine sand—limestone—is constantly falling from the ceiling. The lungs are saturated with this mixture. The nose and throat are not breathing. Also, don't forget, we are surrounded by a lot of mummies that are giving off fumes. sunlight, practically does not penetrate into these places. We light candles or torches, while seeing a terrible spectacle of mummies around us. One day I accidentally sat on someone's mummified remains instead of a wooden chair. It was an unpleasant feeling."
Perhaps the ancient Egyptians used radioactive radiation to protect the chambers of the pharaohs. The famous Egyptologist Goneim noted: “It has long been scientifically proven that when carrying out mummification, the ancient Egyptians used resins extracted from the Red Sea coast. They contained radioactive particles. Bandages of mummies found in tombs were impregnated with this substance. Obviously, the dust in the crypts was a source of radiation. This suggests that the ancient Egyptians used this substance during religious rites. Most likely, they personified him with the incarnation of Ra - the cult of the Sun."
But, just recently, a group of physicists from National Center According to nuclear research, ARE refuted this theory. According to experts, Egyptian mummies found in different time in ancient burials, do not contain any radioactive elements and are absolutely safe for human health.
Using the most modern equipment, specialists spent almost a year studying more than 500 mummies located in various museums in Egypt. Not only the remains of such legendary personalities, like the pharaohs Ramses II and Amenhotep, exhibited in the Cairo National Museum, but also the mummies of hundreds of unknown viziers and associates, which were kept at the medical faculty of Qasr al-Aini University. The experiments carried out allowed us to state with confidence: there are no sources of harmful radiation in mummies.
Even in the days of silent cinema, films appeared in which mummies, revived or revived through the efforts of sorcerers, pursued people, strangled them, and drove them to suicide. Fiction. Fairy tales. And yet... Modern bioenergy therapists who have studied Egyptian antiquities unanimously claim that mummies have a very negative energy field, therefore, they need to be studied with extreme caution. It seems that the mysteries of ancient Egyptian civilization will never be completely solved.
Johannes Krause, a paleogeneticist from the University of Tübingen, reported that the genome of three of the 151 mummies that German researchers worked with was completely restored. Their DNA was well preserved despite the hot Egyptian climate, high humidity in the burial sites and the chemicals used for embalming.
Restoring the genome promises, albeit in the distant future, the restoration of its owner as well. By cloning. Which would suit the ancient Egyptians, who hoped to somehow and someday rise from the dead. For this reason they became mummies. As if they foresaw that the remains of flesh and bones would be useful...
Tours to Egypt – special offers of the day
On July 27, 1941, Lenin's body was taken out of the capital. The operation was kept in the strictest confidence. Then the body was returned to the Mausoleum again. It is curious that these are far from the only adventures of Ilyich after death. Mummification became a special burial ritual many thousands of years ago, but one way or another it has survived to this day. At the same time, mummies have always been and are surrounded by many secrets that excite the minds of both scientists and ordinary people. At the same time, some of the long-dead continue to “travel” around the world, the origin and mystery of the death of others have not yet been solved by scientists, others are cursed, and others have not undergone decomposition at all without outside intervention. We present to you the most famous mummies in the world and their mysterious stories.
52 photo via
Vladimir Lenin. Now Lenin’s body is in the same place, where crowds of tourists still come to see it. But embalmed ashes, unlike Egyptian mummies, require constant care, for which at the end of 1939 a research laboratory was created at the Mausoleum as part of the USSR Ministry of Health.
The laboratory monitors the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere of the sarcophagus and body, changes the composition of impregnating solutions, checks the color of the mummy’s skin, as well as the volume of the face and hands, and its employees help Ilyich “take a bath.”
Job unusual specialists was shown in the unique film of the NTV television company "Mausoleum".
In 1922, the Englishmen Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon found the tomb of Tutankhamun, untouched by robbers. Archaeologists opened the double coffin, revealing a golden sarcophagus inside. Even the flowers inside were well preserved, so their discovery was truly unique.
However, the joy quickly faded when a series of accidents befell the research team. Carnarvon died suddenly of pneumonia, followed by Carter's assistants, one after another.
Screaming mummies from the Guanajuato Museum. The Mexican Museum of Mummies is perhaps one of the most chilling places on earth: it displays 111 mummies, which are the naturally preserved mummified bodies of people who mostly died in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
Between 1865 and 1958, there was a law that required relatives to pay a tax to have the bodies of their loved ones laid in graves in a cemetery. If the amount was not paid, the dead bodies were simply removed from the stone tombs - and this is how the museum appeared.
Screaming mummies are unusual in that their distorted faces indicate that the person was buried alive.
The Man from Grauballe. In the 1950s, archaeologists discovered several mummies in peat bogs. Among the fairly well-preserved bodies, scientists were especially surprised by the mummified body of a young man.
Even his facial features, framed by a shock of red hair, could easily be seen on him.
According to the results of the radiocarbon analysis, it became known that the young man lived in the very first years of our era, and they killed him by sacrificing him to the gods.
Mummy of a boy from Greenland. Not far from the northern settlement of Kilakitsoq on the western coast of the island, in 1972, scientists found a family of mummified Eskimo ancestors, whose bodies were preserved due to low temperatures.
Nine people died in Greenland during the Middle Ages. One of the mummies aroused particular interest among scientists and curiosity, seasoned with fear, among ordinary fans of such finds.
The body belonged to a one-year-old child who, as anthropologists concluded, suffered from Down syndrome. A mummy that looks like a creepy doll leaves a lasting impression on visitors National Museum Greenland in Nuuk.
Rosalia Lombardo. A glass coffin containing the incorrupt body of a two-year-old girl is located in a small temple in Palermo.
Rosalia died of influenza in 1918. After her death, with the consent of her parents, the doctor gave her an injection, the contents of which are still unknown. Thanks to this, the body did not decompose.
Local residents even call the amazingly preserved mummy “sleeping beauty”, it seems so “alive”.
Around the church where Rosalia rests, according to parishioners and tourists, inexplicable things began to happen forty years ago.
One of the tourists even claimed that he saw the “sleeping beauty”’s eyes open for a moment and then close back. After this, church ministers refused to be alone near the incorruptible body.
Princess Ukok. Although the body of this mummy itself has not survived in the best possible way, the curiosity of scientists and enthusiasts is aroused by the intricately outlined tattoos, which are perfectly preserved despite the fact that the princess died more than 2,500 years ago.
According to researchers, Ukoke was 25 years old at the time of his death. On her tattoo you can easily discern the outline of a mythical deer with the horns of a capricorn and the beak of a griffin.
Archaeologists believe that Princess Ukoka was a member of the Pazyryk tribe from the mountains of Siberia, whose representatives were convinced that tattoos helped people find each other in the afterlife.
Iceman Ötzi. The find became the oldest European mummy, dating back about 5,200 years. The body, named Ötzi, was discovered on September 19, 1991 by a pair of German tourists while hiking in the Tyrolean Alps.
Like Tutankhamun, the Iceman is credited with the deaths of six people. The first of them was the German tourist Helmut Simon, who decided to spend the 100 thousand dollars received for the find on a second trip to the place of discovery, where he was overtaken by death in the form of a snowstorm.
Allan Billis voluntarily decided to have his body mummified, and also approved in advance the broadcast of the process on television.
The 61-year-old taxi driver, who died of lung cancer in 2011, was nicknamed “Tutankham of Torquay” by journalists.
Dr. Stefan Buckley mummified Billis' corpse using the same technique used to embalm Tutankhamun. Thus Allan became the first body in more than 1000 years to be processed in this way.
Tarim mummies. In the desert areas of the Tarim Basin in China at the beginning of the 20th century, human remains were found, notable for the fact that they belonged to Europeans.
Presumably, these people passed away in the 17th century BC. It is surprising that almost all of them had long blond or red hair, which they wore in braids, and they were dressed in felt cloaks and leggings with a checkered pattern.
One of the famous Tarim mummies was the so-called Loulan Beauty - a young woman about 180 cm tall with light brown hair. According to scientists, the woman lived 3800 years ago.
The woman's mummy can be seen in the Urumqi Museum. Next to it they found the burial of a 50-year-old man with his hair braided in two braids and a three-month-old child with a bottle made from a cow's horn and a pacifier from a sheep's udder.
Xin Zhui. In 1971, the mummy of a wealthy Han Dynasty Chinese woman who died in 168 BC was found in Changsha, China. at the age of 50 years.
The body was placed in four sarcophagi according to the “matryoshka” principle, and the body itself was in 80 liters of yellowish liquid, which immediately evaporated.
Thanks to the mysterious filler, the joints of the body retained mobility and the muscles were elastic. Many different items were discovered near the deceased, including recipes for her favorite dishes.
Franklin Expedition Mummies. In 1845, an expedition led by John Franklin of more than 100 people set out in search of the legendary route to Asia, but two ships simply went missing.
In 1850, the graves of three members of the missing crew were discovered on Beechey Island, after which the search was stopped.
Only in 1984 did a group of anthropologists go to the island. Oddly enough, all three bodies were perfectly preserved without any external intervention.
Researchers found traces of pneumonia and tuberculosis, as well as very a large number of lead, which could have killed the sailors.
A mummy is a body preserved by embalming. It is subjected to a special chemical treatment, due to which the process of tissue decomposition slows down or stops altogether. Mummification is possible both natural and artificial.
There have always been many secrets around mummies; they have attracted the interest of both scientists and ordinary people. People were often frightened by the image of dead, but seemingly sleeping people. People are interested in the process of mummification, as they have always wanted to touch the hitherto unknown border between the world of the living and the dead.
But the search and excavation of ancient burials has always remained the lot of desperate daredevils. Nevertheless, today many mummies from all over the world are in museums.
With their help, you can learn a lot about ancient cults without visiting remote and exotic countries, risking your health and life. Legends, however, say that communication with mummies is unsafe, and the disturbed dead can take revenge on living people.
Mummification was especially studied in Ancient Egypt, where almost everyone could afford to preserve their body after death. During the era of the pharaohs, this became a sacred tradition. In total, about 70 million people were allegedly mummified over the past 3 thousand years.
In the 4th century, most of the Egyptians converted to Christianity; according to the new faith, mummification was no longer necessary for life after death. As a result, gradually ancient tradition was forgotten, and most of the tombs were plundered in ancient times by vandals and thieves looking for treasures.
During the Middle Ages, the destruction of mummies continued - they were even ground into powder, creating “magic” potions. Modern treasure hunters continued the destruction of tombs. Even the relatively recent 19th century contributed to the destruction of mummies - mummies' bandages were used as paper, burning bodies as fuel.
Today, mummification is carried out on a completely scientific basis, an example of this is the mausoleums with the bodies of the leaders of socialist countries. Let's talk below about the ten most famous mummies in human history.
Tutankhamun is the most famous mummy.
Now it is located in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor. Historians believe that this pharaoh did not stand out in any way among the succession of rulers. Having ascended the throne at the age of 10, Tutankhamun died at the age of 19. According to Egyptologists, the young man died in 1323 BC. by his death. But the most interesting events ties associated with the personality of this pharaoh began three millennia after his death. In 1922, the Englishmen Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, untouched by robbers. After archaeologists opened the nested wooden and stone coffins, they discovered a golden sarcophagus. Since there was no air in it, even the flowers, not to mention the jewelry, were well preserved inside. The pharaoh's face was covered with a mask made of pure gold. However, this was followed by a series of accidents, which gave rise to talk about the curse of the ancient priests. Just a year later, Carnarvon unexpectedly died of pneumonia (there were rumors about a mysterious mosquito), Carter's assistants died one after another, and suddenly death overtook Archibald Reed, a scientist who wanted to x-ray the mummy. Society was not interested in reasonable arguments, and yet most of the dead scientists were already elderly. Moreover, Carter himself was the last to die, in 1939. The newspapermen simply adjusted the facts to create a mysterious legend.
Networks I.
Among famous mummies Another Egyptian find stands out - the remains of Seti I. He was one of the greatest pharaonic warriors in history, who also became the father of another legendary ruler - Ramesses II the Great. Seti's reign dates back to the 19th Dynasty. According to surviving records, the pharaoh successfully defended Egypt from the invading army of neighboring Libya. It was thanks to Seti I that Egypt's power extended to the borders of modern Syria. The pharaoh ruled for 11 years, having done a lot for the prosperity of his country. His grave was discovered in 1917 by accident. Heavy rain caused a collapse of the earth and opened the entrance to the tomb, but inside the researchers saw that robbers had already been here a long time ago and there were no mummies inside. The opening of the tomb itself became a resonant phenomenon, just like the opening of Tutankhamun’s grave. But in 1881, Seti’s well-preserved mummy was found in the cache of Deir el-Bahri. Today it is kept in the Cairo Egyptian Museum.
Ramesses II.
Set's son, Ramses II the Great reigned for 67 years from 1279-1212 BC. At the time of his death, the pharaoh was over 90 years old. Ramesses became one of the most famous rulers of Ancient Egypt. His mummy was discovered by G. Maspero and E. Brugsch in the already mentioned cache of Deir el-Bahri in 1881 among other royal bodies. Now it is in the Cairo Museum, providing an excellent opportunity to imagine what the great ruler looked like. Although at that time an ordinary Egyptian did not exceed 160 cm, the height of the pharaoh was about 180 cm. Scientists note that the facial features of the mummy are similar to images of the ruler in his youth. In 1974, museum Egyptologists discovered that the mummy's condition had begun to deteriorate. To conduct a medical examination, it was decided to send the valuable exhibit to Paris; for this, Ramses even received an Egyptian passport. In France, the mummy was processed and diagnosed. She testified that Ramesses had wounds and fractures from battles and also suffered from arthritis. Experts were even able to identify some types of herbs and flowers that were used for embalming, for example, chamomile oil.
Ramesses I.
The grandfather of Ramesses the Great and the founder of the Ramesses dynasty was Ramesses I. Before becoming a ruler, the pharaoh had the following official titles: “Manager of all the horses of Egypt”, “Commandant of the fortresses”, “Royal Scribe”, “Charioteer of His Majesty” and others. Before his reign, Ramesses was known as a military leader and dignitary to Parames, serving his predecessor, Pharaoh Horemheb. It was these two pharaohs who were able to restore the economy and political stability in the country, which had been shaken after religious reforms Akhenaten. The tomb of Ramesses I was accidentally found in Deir el-Bahri by Ahmed Abd el-Rasul while he was looking for his lost goat. The man was a well-known member of a family of tomb robbers. Ahmed began selling numerous items from the burial to tourists and collectors. When the tomb was officially discovered in 1881, the mummy of the pharaoh himself was no longer there. 40 other mummies, sarcophagi and numerous exhibits were found in the burial, including the coffin of Ramesses himself. According to research into diaries, letters and reports from the time, it was discovered that the mummy was purchased for £7 by Canadian physician James Douglas in 1860. He acquired the relic for the owner of a museum in Niagara. It was there that it was kept for the next 130 years, until it was purchased by the Michael Carlos Museum in Atlanta for $2 million. Of course, there is no doubt that this is the mummy of Ramesses, lost in the 19th century. However, the results of a computed tomography scan, x-ray and radiocarbon analysis showed the similarity of the body with other representatives of the dynasty, especially since there was also an external similarity. As a result, the pharaoh's mummy was returned to Egypt with honors in 2003.
Otzi (or Otzi).
Among the sinister mummies, Otzi (or Ötzi) has a special place. In 1991, two German tourists discovered a body frozen in ice in the Alps. At first they took it for modern, but only in the morgue of Innsbruck, Austria, was Otzi's true age discovered. Naturally mummified man was kept in ice for about 5 thousand years and dates back to the Chalcolithic era. Fragments of his clothing are perfectly preserved, although many of them were taken as souvenirs. As a result of numerous publications about the mummy, more than 500 nicknames were given to her, but the one that remained in history was that given to her by the Viennese reporter Wendel in honor of the Ötztal valley. In 1997, the official name was given to the find - Ice Man. Today the find is kept in the Archaeological Museum of South Tyrol in Bolzano. Otzi's height at the time of death was 165 cm, and his weight was 50 kg. The man was about 45 years old, his last diet was deer meat, and he belonged to a small tribe engaged in agriculture. Otzi had 57 tattoos and carried a copper axe, a bow and many objects. Scientists eventually discarded the original version that Otzi simply froze to death in the mountains. Numerous wounds, bruises and fractures, and traces of the blood of other people were found on his body. Criminologists believe that the Ice Man saved his fellow tribesmen and carried them on his shoulders, or was simply buried in the Alps. The name of this mummy also has a curse story associated with it. They say that the Ice Man found caused the death of six people. The first of them was the German tourist Helmut Simon. He received a prize of 100 thousand dollars for his find and, to celebrate, decided to visit this place again. However, there he was overtaken by death in the form of a snowstorm. The funeral had just ended when the rescuer who had now found Simon died of a heart attack. The forensic expert who examined Otzi's body also soon died in a car accident, and this happened while he was traveling on television to give an interview about the find. A professional climber who accompanied the researchers to the discovery site also died when a huge stone fell on his head during a collapse. A couple of years passed and now an Austrian journalist, who was present during the transportation of the mummy and filmed about it, died of a brain tumor documentary. The last of the mummy's victims today is considered to be an Austrian archaeologist who studied the body. But hundreds of people were involved in the study of the mummy, so such a chain could simply be an accident.
Princess of Ukok.
In 1993, a sensational discovery was made in Altai. During excavations of an ancient mound, the well-preserved body of a woman was discovered in the ice, who was named Princess Ukok. She died at the age of 25, and lived in the 5th-3rd centuries BC. In the found chamber, in addition to the mummy, they also found the remains of six horses with saddles and harnesses, which indicated the high status of the buried woman. She was also well-dressed, and had numerous tattoos on her body. Although scientists were delighted with the find, local residents they immediately began to say that the disturbed grave and the spirit of the princess would bring misfortune. Some Altaians argue that the mummy, now kept at the Novosibirsk Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, should be buried or returned to its native lands. The consequence of the disturbance of peace of mind was the increased frequency of earthquakes and seismological activity in Altai, and the increased number of causeless suicides. There is an opinion that all these events are the princess’s revenge. They even talk about broken instruments and crashed helicopters on which they planned to transport the mummy, but information about this has not been confirmed. Although popular rumor raised the mummy to the rank of princess - the ancestor of all Altai peoples, scientists have debunked this myth. The woman belonged to a wealthy but middle class. In addition, DNA studies showed that she belonged to the Caucasian race, which caused protest and mistrust on the part of local peoples who belonged to the Mongoloids.
Xin Zhui.
In 1971, the mummy of a wealthy Han Dynasty Chinese woman named Xin Zhui was discovered in the Chinese city of Changsha. She died in 168 BC. at the age of 50 years. The wife of a high-ranking official, a representative of the ancient Thai people, was buried in an unusual way. There were only four sarcophagi, and they were nested one inside the other, delaying the decomposition procedures. The body itself floated in 80 liters of yellowish liquid, the recipe of which remained unclear, since it immediately evaporated. The autopsy yielded amazing results - the body weighed only 35 kg, while the joints retained mobility and the muscles were still elastic. Even the skin retained its color. Many different items were discovered near the deceased, including recipes for her favorite dishes. Also found in the sarcophagus were dozens of books on medicine, which told in great detail about operations to enlarge the brain and bypass the heart. The researchers also found another unusual find there. On a square meter piece of silk was a map of three Chinese provinces on a scale of 1:180,000. However, the accuracy of the drawing was amazing! It was absolutely consistent with satellite data. The mystery of the mummy was also given by the fact that one of the scientists who participated in the research died from an unknown disease. Now the mummy is located in the historical museum of Changsha.
Tarim mummies.
Tarim mummies were discovered in the desert areas of the Tarim Basin at the beginning of the 20th century. It is noteworthy that these people were Caucasians, confirming the theory that people of this race were widespread in inner Asia. The most ancient mummies date back to the 17th century BC. These people had long brown or red hair, which they wore in braids. Their fabric is also well preserved - felt raincoats and leggings with a checkered pattern. One of the most famous Tarim mummies is the Loulan Beauty. This young woman was about 180 cm tall and had brown hair. She was found in 1980 in the vicinity of Loulan. The age of the find exceeds 3800 years. Today, the woman’s remains are kept in the Urumqi Museum. It is noteworthy that next to it was found the burial of a 50-year-old man with hair braided in 2 braids and a 3-month-old child with a bottle and cow horns and a pacifier from a sheep's udder. Ancient utensils were also found there - a cap, a sieve, a bag. Craniometric research data suggests that the Tarim mummies have anthropological similarities with Indo-Europeans.
Dashi Dorzho Itigelov.
In 2002, an important event took place - the opening of the sarcophagus with the body of the famous Buryat figure of the early 20th century - Dasha Dorzho Itigelov. The Buddhist ascetic became famous during his lifetime. He was born in 1852, becoming famous both as a monk and as an expert in Tibetan medicine. Information about his relatives has not been preserved, which gives Buddhists the opportunity to cherish the legend of the extraterrestrial origin of the priest. From 1911 until the Revolution, he was the head of Russian Buddhists. In 1927, the lama gathered his disciples and ordered them to visit his body 30 years later, and then, reciting prayers, he went into nirvana. The body of the deceased was placed in a cedar box and, according to his will, was opened in 1955 and 1973 to ensure its incorruption. No post-mortem changes or signs of decomposition were found on the deceased. After 2002, the deceased, without creating any special conditions, was placed in glass in the monastery for everyone to see. Although any biomedical research on the body was prohibited after 2005, analysis of hair and nails showed. That their protein structure corresponds to the state of a living person, but the bromine content exceeds the norm by 40 times. No scientific explanations for the phenomenon were ever found, but thousands of pilgrims flocked to the incorruptible body in Buryatia, the Ivolginsky datsan.
Lenin.
The name Lenin is familiar to everyone in our country. This is a Russian and Soviet political and statesman, founder of the Bolshevik Party, one of the organizers and leaders October revolution 1917. Vladimir Ilyich was the Chairman of the Council People's Commissars first Russia, and then the USSR. In 1924, the leader died, and they decided to preserve his body. For this purpose, Professor Abrikosov was called in, who embalmed the deceased with a special compound. Already on the day of the funeral, a wooden mausoleum was built. Initially, embalming was designed for a short period of time in order to have time for a funeral. Abrikosov himself considered the struggle to preserve the body pointless, since science simply does not know how to do this, especially since cadaveric spots and pigmentation appeared on the body. The debate about mummification methods went on for quite a long time - about 2 months! The low temperature method with the installation of a refrigeration chamber was rejected; on March 26, work began on the body using a quickly developed unique method, similar to Egyptian mummifications. By that time, the body had already acquired dramatic changes. Dark spots were removed with acetic acid, soft tissues were soaked in a solution of formaldehyde and embalming agents. On August 1, 1924, the Mausoleum was opened to the public; almost 120 million people have passed by the sarcophagus throughout its history. The mummy is periodically subjected to biochemical treatment, and experts believe that with proper care, the remains can be preserved indefinitely. There is currently controversy over the very fact of the leader's mummification. His role in history has already been revised, and the fact of preserving the body was not of a personal nature (with the permission and request of relatives), but of a political nature. Calls for Lenin’s burial in the ground are increasingly heard.
An exhibition called "Mummies of the World" was held in Philadelphia.
An unusual sight awaits visitors, because each exhibit at the exhibition is unique and carries with it a whole story.
Detmold Child: This is the mummy of an eight to ten month old Peruvian child who died 6,500 years ago, most likely due to heart disease. The mummy was exhibited at the Detmold Museum in Germany. This is one of the oldest mummies in the world, even older than the mummy of Pharaoh Tutu by more than three thousand years.
Mummy of a Peruvian woman who lived in the thirteenth century AD.
Mummy of an ancient Egyptian.
Ten-year-old Nayshia Brumer examines an adult mummy that was found in caves in Chile.
The mummy of a woman with children discovered in South America.
Mummy of Michael Orlovits, who was born in Vaca, Hungary, in 1765. The mummies of members of the Orlowitz family were discovered in underground tombs in Vaca in 1994 during the reconstruction of the Dominican church. The cold, dry air in the crypt, as well as pine oil allowed the bodies to mummify and survive to this day.
Studies have shown that Veronica Orlovits suffered from severe tuberculosis, just like her husband, Mikhail Orlovits. In addition, some other injuries and wounds were found on the body.
Mummy Johannes Orlovitz from the Orlovitz family.
June 23, 2010: Dr. Heather Gill-Frerking of the Rice-Engelhorn Museum says, “CT scans and other scientific techniques are very helpful in studying mummies, so we can learn more about how people lived and died. "This technique is non-invasive and can be used to record a 3D mummy for archival purposes, which also allows us to preserve mummies for future generations to study." Photo taken at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, California.
June 23, 2010. The result of a scan of the mummy of Michael Orlovitz, carried out at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, California.
A pre-Columbian mummy that was found in the Atacama Desert (Chile).
Howler monkey mummy from South America.
Mummy of an ancient Egyptian who lived around 400 BC.
On the eve of the opening of the Mummies of the World exhibit at the California Science Center, employees Eric Russia and John Diloski seal a glass cube containing a sarcophagus and an Egyptian mummy.
Each of us has heard about mummies at some point, at least in school history lessons. ancient egypt, there are more interesting stories about them than you might imagine.
The legendary wife of Argentine President Juan Peron died on July 26, 1952, when she was only 33 years old due to cancer. After her death, her remains were preserved so that they could be displayed during the funeral procession.
Three years later, anti-Peronist militants stole her mummified body, which was subsequently unknown for 15 years. Later, her body, now in very poor condition, was returned to her ex-husband, who displayed her in his own home, while his second wife allegedly combed her hair and even lay down next to her in a coffin to absorb her greatness. Her body was later interred and she now rests in her family's crypt.
La Doncella
This impeccably preserved mummy of a 15-year-old Inca girl was likely sacrificed more than 500 years ago. She was discovered in 1999 along with two other children on the Llullaillaco volcano at an altitude of 6,700 meters above sea level in Argentina. While the girl appears to be the victim of a tragedy, there is evidence that she suffered from a fatal disease similar to tuberculosis, or a chronic lung infection. Her family did everything possible to ensure that the girl died less painfully; grain liquor was found in her body, and coca leaves were found in her mouth.
Wet mummy
In 2011, Chinese construction workers were digging the foundation for a new road and discovered in the ground the perfectly preserved mummy of a woman who lived about 600 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. It got its name due to the fact that it was in damp soil for a long time, and despite the high humidity it was very well preserved. Her skin was practically undamaged; hair and even eyebrows were preserved on her body.
She was also found wearing precious accessories, such as a jade ring and a silver hair clip that was still holding her hair together. Mummification was rarely practiced in China, which makes this discovery more unique. Archaeologists believe that the mummification of the “wet mummy” was part of a natural process associated with a lack of oxygen in the moisture surrounding the woman’s body, for this reason there were no bacteria in the water that could contribute to the destruction of her body.
The Man from Grauballe
In 1952, several mummified bodies were discovered in a peat bog in Denmark, but the best preserved was a guy called the “Man from Grauballe.” He was approximately 30 years old when he died more than 2,000 years ago, most likely due to a sacrificial ritual, judging by the deep wound on his neck. He still has red hair and facial features.
Ramses III
Unlike other mummies made during the era of Ramses in Egypt, his remains are evidence that he did not die a natural death, but was a victim of murder. His throat was deeply cut and many historians believe that he was killed by his own sons.
Princess Ukok
The body of Princess Ukok once again proves that tattoos are forever. Despite the fact that she died almost 2,500 years ago, her tattoos were perfectly preserved on her withered body. She was about 25 years old when she died; scientists believe that she was a member of the Pazyryk tribe, which lived in the mountains of Siberia. Members of this tribe believed that tattoos would help them find each other in the afterlife.
Tutankhamun Torquay
After dying from lung cancer, 61-year-old English taxi driver Allan Billis bequeathed his body to science. The Englishman's body was mummified and he was nicknamed "Tutankhamun of Torquay." Thanks to Dr. Stephen Buckley, Allan Billis' body became the first mummified body in over 1,000 years, using ancient Egyptian methods to mummify it. Allan's wife commented on this situation by saying: "I am the only woman in the country who has a mummy of her husband."
Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov
Itigelov spent his life as a Buryat Buddhist lama in the best traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. He began his spiritual journey at age 16 in 1927. One day he told his disciples that his time to go to the next world had come, and he also asked them to join him in meditation. He died calmly in the middle of meditation and was soon buried in a pine box, sitting in the lotus position. He has since been exhumed twice, and despite no act of mummification, analysis of his body showed that he had died within approximately 36 hours, rather than the actual 100 years.
Franklin Expedition Mummies
Hoping to find the Northwest Passage, an expedition of more than 100 men set sail for the New World in 1845. No one else heard from this expedition, but five years later, a separate expedition came across the graves of three men John Torrington, John Hartnell and William Brain, who were buried on Beachy Island in the Canadian Arctic archipelago of Nunavut. In 1984, a team of anthropologists traveled to the icy island to exhume the bodies of men, which were extremely well preserved due to the frozen tundra climate. They were able to determine the cause of death of the men 138 years ago, which despite the wild cold was pneumonia and tuberculosis, and scientists were also able to find out that each of them had a lethal amount of lead in their bodies, likely from the ship's water distillation system
Woman with fossilized fetus
In 1955, a Moroccan woman named Zahra Aboutalib was brought to the hospital to deliver her first child. When she was told that it would have to be done C-section, was very scared of the procedure and ran away from the hospital. Later, the unborn child died in her womb, and despite this, she refused to remove the dead fetus from her belly. Almost 50 years later, she was hospitalized again, complaining of excruciating abdominal pain. Doctors discovered that what they thought was a tumor turned out to be the calcified remains of her dead man. born child. This happens extremely rarely; in history there are only about 300 such officially registered cases.