In April of last year the news broke: The first pregnant Egyptian mummy in history had been found, just like advertisement the Polish Ministry of Education and Science. This incredible discovery, moreover, was an enigma since the fetus had also been mummified. Now, thanks to a new study from the University of Warsaw (Poland) on this pregnant mummy from Ancient Egypt, we know how was the natural process for which the fetus was mummified as well.
The mother is known as the Mysterious Lady, since little is known about her. The mummy must have been between 20 and 30 years old and was between 26 and 30 weeks pregnant; furthermore, nothing indicates that she died in childbirth. In fact, it is not known how he died or who he was, the unknowns still float in the air around this ancient pregnant mummy of about 2,000 years.
But nevertheless, it is known that it was mummified in the traditional way in Ancient Egypt, according to research from Warsaw Mummies Project. But how did the fetus manage to preserve itself? The answer is not new; but yes, the less curious.
This is how the fetus found in Egypt was preserved
It was the acidification of the woman’s body as it decomposed that was responsible for preserving the fetus inside its already deceased (and mummified) mother. Actually, the process is similar to other mummies that have been found in peat bogs, as happened with Lindow Man.
“The fetus remained in the womb intact and began to, shall we say, pickle. It is not the most aesthetic comparison, but it conveys the idea”, they explain in the Blog of the Warsaw Mummy Project. The research team is led by the bioarchaeologist Marzena Ożarek-Szilke, from the University of Warsaw (Poland), and the archaeologist Wojciech Ejsmondof the Polish Academy of Sciences.
“The pH of blood in cadavers, including the contents of the uterus, drops significantly, becoming more acidic; concentrations of ammonia and formic acid increase with time,” they add in the publication. “The placement and filling of the body with natron [una mezcla de sal recogida de los lechos de los lagos secos] significantly limited access to air and oxygen. The end result is a nearly airtight uterus that contains the fetus.”
A pregnant mummy?
However, as a general rule it is very difficult to find fetuses. In fact, as we pointed out before, this is the first mummy from Ancient Egypt that has been found pregnant. This is because the bones of fetuses, especially in the first two trimesters, are very poorly mineralized. That is why at first external researchers wondered if it was really a pregnant mummy.
Now, after the new study Polish scientists reaffirm their position. And it is that mummification process acidified the interior of the corpse; so the same thing happened as in peat bogs, where the highly acidic environment pickle soft tissues, but demineralizes the bones, they point out from ScienceAlert.
Woman and fetus are mummified in two different ways. The first, due to a ritual performed in Ancient Egypt while the fetus passed into that state due to a natural process; although propitiated by the mummification of the mother. Perhaps there are more pregnant mummies hidden among those that nurture museums around the world; but for now the Mysterious Lady is the first and only one we meet.