The most famous mummies in the world and their mysterious stories. The most interesting mummies (17 photos) Two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo

When it comes to mummies, many people first of all remember ancient Egypt, the pharaohs, whose bodies have survived to this day, and the Hollywood blockbuster “The Mummy.” But in fact, mummies are not only about Ancient Egypt and Hollywood. Our review contains little-known and sometimes simply incredible facts about mummies.

1. What is a mummy

2. Mum means wax

The word "mummy" comes from the medieval Latin word "mumia", borrowed from the medieval Arabic "mūmiya" and from the Persian "mum" (wax), which meant an embalmed body, as well as a bitumen-based embalming agent.

3. Variety of mummies

4. Anubis

Some people wonder why so many jackal mummies have been found. The explanation for this is quite simple - the god of mummification was Anubis, Egyptian god with the head of a jackal.

5. The art of mummification

The ancient Egyptians began making mummies around 3400 BC, but it took them almost eight hundred years to realize that if the internal organs were removed, the mummy would be preserved rather than rotting. Over time, mummification became a very complex and lengthy process that lasted up to seventy days.

6. Herodotus is the first person to describe mummification

7. Chinchorro tribe

Although mummies are almost exclusively associated with Egypt, the South American Chinchorro tribe were the first to make mummies. According to recent archaeological evidence, the oldest Chinchorro mummies date back to the seventh millennium BC, which is twice as old as the first Egyptian mummies.

8. X-ray of a mummy

First modern scientific examinations mummies began to be carried out in 1901, conducted by professors English language at the Government School of Medicine in Cairo. The first x-ray of a mummy was taken in 1903, when professors Grafton Elliott Smith and Howard Carter used the only x-ray machine in Cairo at the time to examine the mummy of Thutmose IV.

9. Classic

Not all mummies were wrapped in the same position. For example, the vast majority of pharaohs were positioned in a prone position with their arms crossed over their chest. This is the situation most often shown in films and popular media.

10. Osiris

According to Egyptian mythology, the god Osiris was the first mummy in history. However, his remains were not found.

11. Afterlife hospitality

It is for this reason that, after the mummy was all wrapped in bandages, it was covered with a special cloth with a painted image of Osiris. This was done so that the Egyptian god of the underworld would be kind and hospitable to the dead.

12. If only I had money

Many people mistakenly believe that only pharaohs were mummified. In reality, those who could afford it were mummified.

13. I’ll take everything I own with me.

The ancient Egyptians believed that items that were buried in a tomb along with a mummy would help the deceased in life after death. Thus, everything valuable to the deceased was buried with them. These included art, artifacts, treasures and jewelry.

14. Protection from thieves

There was also protection against thieves - ancient Egyptian myths warned that the tombs and their contents were under a curse that would strike all who entered them. It has been claimed that a number of archaeologists who discovered some of these burials suffered from total bad luck, and some even died under unusual circumstances.

However, these curses were unable to prevent many graves from being robbed and jewelry and other expensive items being stolen from the mummies into the afterlife.

15. Dubious entertainment

Additionally, during the Victorian era, unwrapping mummies became a popular activity at parties. Hosts hosting a dinner party would buy a mummy, and guests could unwrap it during the party.

16. Essential medicinal component

In Victorian times, mummies were considered an essential ingredient in many medicines. Most eminent doctors assured their patients that mummies powder or pounded mummies had amazing healing properties.

17. Ramesses III was afraid of reptiles

Ramesses III was afraid of reptiles. It was for this reason that his mummy was found wearing an amulet that was supposed to protect him from snakes in the afterlife.

18. Receptacle of intellect and emotions

The only organ that the ancient Egyptians left inside the mummy was the heart. At that time, the heart was considered the center of intellect and emotions - qualities that were needed by the dead in the afterlife.

19. Profitable business

Mummies were a very profitable business in ancient Egypt. In the process of preparing the mummy, many workers were used: from embalmers and surgeons to priests and scribes.

20. Average weight of a mummy

Modern sleeping bags are made wide at the shoulders and narrow at the legs, which makes the person lying inside look like a mummy. This is not just a coincidence, as their design was inspired by the way mummies were wrapped to be preserved for millennia.

Continuing the topic, we decided to remember about.

There was a wave of deaths among the expedition members and their entourage that followed the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Soon after the results of the excavations were announced in the press, a major industrial businessman in England, Joel Wolfe, went to Egypt to inspect the treasury of all times.

He forced Carter, who was in charge of the expedition, to give him permission to examine the burial crypt. He spent almost the entire day there, and upon returning to the hotel he died suddenly. The symptoms were still the same: chills, high fever, loss of reason and rapid death.

Who's next for the curse?

The X-ray examination 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.

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. The curse of the pharaoh did not spare doctors, linguists, world-famous historians: La Flor, Callender, Winlock, Estori...

A few years later, in 1929, Carnarvon’s widow died, according to doctors, “from a mosquito bite.” Carter's assistant Richard Bathell, a young, healthy man, suffered heart failure. Egypt was in panic. The story of the pharaoh's curse spread throughout Europe. Following them, the lord’s brother and the nurse who was present at the death of the philanthropist died. People passed away who had in no way touched the archaeological discovery and had never been to. Carter calmly received reports of their deaths.

A confirmed bachelor, he was only worried about the participation of his pet, who shared with him his Cairo living space - the nightingale. On the day when Carter's colleague and prominent scientist Richard Batelle died from an incurable and unknown disease, the archaeologist did not find his bird in the cage. He noticed only the scales of a silver snake hastily crawling out the window. He regretted his friend for a long time and did not accept the message that Batelle died due to blockage of the blood vessels in the lungs. Carter turned out to be the only long-liver who was not touched by the curse of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

The mummy of Ramses II has come to life!

After the incident with Batell, turmoil began in Cairo. People were frightened by an unknown disease that spares no one. The workers of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II was transported in 1886, also knew about these rumors.

The evening was hot. Stuffiness accumulated in the hall with the collection of sarcophagi of the National Museum of Antiquities. After sunset, the building's electric lights were turned on. And then something irreparable happened. A drawn-out sound was released from the sarcophagus where the mummy of the Ancient Egyptian 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 this 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 cruciform position. However, the face of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt remained turned to the north.

Doctors have unraveled the mystery of the pharaohs' curse

35 years after the death of the English philanthropist who financed the excavations in the Valley of the Kings, and thanks to whom the tomb of Tutankhamun became known to the world, scientists managed to find out what caused his sudden death. And the death of several expedition members and people close to them. Geoffrey Dean, Chief Medical Officer at Port Elizabeth Hospital South Africa, found a virus - a fungus that caused the symptoms present 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 route, so Lord Carnarvon’s nurse soon suffered the same fate.

Conclusion on the cause of death of the expedition members

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. It was dedicated to his discovery of the secret of the curse of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. For a long time, Dr. Taha monitored the health of archaeologists and staff members of the 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 become aware real reasons the death of Lord Carnarvon and the team members, if he himself had not suffered the same fate: the curse destroyed 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...

Video about Ancient Egypt. The curse of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

Ancient Egypt is probably the most famous civilization of the ancient world. The people who lived on the banks of the Nile a thousand years BC had their own distinctive pantheon of gods and a rich culture. In the common consciousness, the mummies of the pharaohs are most associated with Ancient Egypt, which attract interest for their mystery and belonging to the cult of death.

The meaning of mummification

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. There was a strong belief in the popular consciousness that rulers were of divine origin, which made their connection with supernatural phenomena even closer. The mummies of the pharaohs were buried in special tombs - pyramids. This style of architecture was a unique Egyptian invention that became an unprecedented innovation in Ancient world. Nothing like this was built then either in the Mediterranean or in Mesopotamia. The most famous are the pyramids of Giza.

Mummification process

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). For this purpose, the body of the deceased was cut in a special way. The holes were filled with oil, which was drained after a few days. 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, such as the Sumerians.

The organs in the vessels were kept 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.

Mummy processing

The treated body was subjected to drying, which could last up to 40 days. The procedure allowed it to persist for many years. To prevent the body from losing its shape due to natural processes, it was filled with a special solution, which also contained sodium. The embalmers obtained the necessary substances on the banks of the Nile, which was the sacred river of the entire civilization.

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. Finally, the corpse was wrapped in bandages and placed in a sarcophagus, where a mask was put on it. In total, the mummification process took about 70 days and involved the work of a dozen people. The secret craft was taught to the priests of the cult. It could not be disclosed. Violators of the law faced the death penalty.

Valley of the Kings

Along with the mummy, all the property of the deceased was also buried in the tomb: jewelry, furniture, gold, as well as chariots, which were generally a symbol of belonging to the main social stratum. Members of the same family, as a rule, had their own tomb, which became the family crypt. Archaeologists find several mummies in such pyramids. There were sacred places where especially many pyramids were built. They were in southern Egypt. This is the Valley of the Kings, as well as the Valley of the Queens. Representatives of several dynasties that ruled the ancient state found their peace here.

There was a 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 Rasul brother-scientists during their expedition in 1871. Since then, the work of archaeologists here has not stopped for a single day.

Cheops

One of the most famous is the mummy He ruled Egypt in the 26th century BC. e. His figure was known to ancient historians, including Herodotus. This fact alone suggests that 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 those 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. Cheops also became known for fighting in the Sinai Peninsula against the Bedouins.

Pyramid of Cheops

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. Cheops was no exception to this rule.

However, his pyramid amazed all his contemporaries and distant descendants with its size. It was included in the list of 7 ancient wonders of the world and remains the only monument from this list that has survived to this day.

Religious complex in Giza

The lost mummy of an Egyptian pharaoh was kept inside a huge labyrinth of corridors inside a structure 137 meters high. This figure was only surpassed at the end of the 19th century, when the Eiffel Tower appeared in Paris. 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.

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. Ramses built a lot during his lifetime. He founded several cities, most of which were named after him.

This was the ruler who changed and transformed Ancient Egypt. The mummies of pharaohs were often hunted by grave diggers. The tomb of Ramses II was no exception. The priests of Egypt ensured that the royal necropolises remained intact. While the ancient civilization still existed, the body of this ruler was reburied several times. 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 became 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.

Fighting grave robbers

The cache was discovered only in the 19th century. He was first found by Arab grave robbers. In those eras, it was a profitable business, since in the African sands there were still many treasures that were sold for a good price in European markets. Typically, robbers are interested in treasures and gems, not the mummies of the pharaohs of Egypt. Photos of devastated graves confirm this trend.

However, already in the 19th century, the Egyptian authorities created a special ministry that monitored the illegal trade in antiquities. Soon the source of the jewelry was discovered. So in 1881, the untouched mummy of Ramses fell into the hands of scientists. Since then it has been kept in various museums. By studying it, researchers around the world are still obtaining new information about mummification. In 1975, the remains were subjected to a unique modern conservation procedure that preserved a surviving artifact of the past.

Such a case is an extreme success for the scientific community. As a rule, when a new tomb is discovered, there is nothing left in it, including mummies. The secrets of the pharaohs and their wealth have attracted adventurers and traders for many centuries.

Tutankhamun

In popular culture, the mummy of Tutankhamun is most famous. This pharaoh ruled at a young age from 1332 to 1323 BC. e. He died at the age of 20. 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.

Modern scientific studies of the mummy have made it possible to study in detail the circumstances of the young man’s death. Before this, the popular belief was that Tutankhamun was forcibly killed by his regent. However, this is not confirmed by the mummy of the Egyptian pharaoh itself. The pyramid in which it was kept was full of bottles of malaria medicine. Modern DNA analysis has not ruled out the possibility that the young man suffered from a serious illness, due to which he died prematurely.

When a team of archaeologists discovered the crypt in 1922, it was full of all sorts of unique artifacts. 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. Photos of the tomb immediately penetrated the Western press and became a sensation.

Curse of the Pharaohs

Even greater hype surrounding the tomb of Tutankhamun began when Lord George Carnavon, who financed the research of the distant find, unexpectedly died. The Englishman died in a Cairo hotel shortly after the ancient crypt was opened. The press immediately picked up this story. Soon, new dead people appeared related to the archaeological expedition. Rumors spread in the press that there was a curse that fell on the heads of those who entered the tomb.

A popular view was that the source of evil was the pharaoh's mummy. Photos of the deceased ended up in widely circulated obituaries. Over time, refutations appeared that debunked the myth of the curse. Nevertheless, the legend became a popular story Western culture. Several films were filmed in the 20th century feature films dedicated to the curse.

To a large extent, it was thanks to them that the theme of Ancient Egypt gained popularity among the widest public. Any news in which this or that mummy appears has become known. A pharaoh's tomb that was intact and intact has not been found since the discovery of Tutankhamun.

When a person passes into another world, it is customary to bury his body. But sometimes, for various reasons, people want to preserve the deceased for a longer memory and not at all in photographs...

You won't believe it, but we found 18 dead people, whose bodies are still carefully kept among the living!

1. Vladimir Lenin (1870 – 1924, Russia)

The father of Russian communism and the first leader of the USSR died almost 100 years ago, but his body looks like Vladimir Ilyich fell asleep and is about to wake up!

Back in 1924, the government decided to preserve the deceased leader for future generations. To do this, they even had to invent a complex embalming process! At the moment, Lenin's body does not have any internal organs (they are replaced with special humidifiers and a pumping system that maintains internal temperature and fluid intake), and requires constant injections and baths.

It is known that during the existence Soviet Union The dead leader’s suits were changed once a year, but after the fall of the communist nation, the leader stopped being fashionable and now “changes” his clothes once every 5 years!

2. Eva "Evita" Peron (1919 - 1952, Argentina)

“Don’t cry for me, Argentina,” Madonna-Evita sang, playing the role of the main and beloved woman of the entire Argentine people, Evita Peron, in the film of the same name.

No, then in 1952 the country did not want to put up with the death of the wife of President Juan Peron. And even more, Eva Peron, who died of cancer, was so skillfully embalmed that the result was later even called the “art of death”!

But indeed, in the dead body there was also more life... You won’t believe it, but the process of preserving the deceased took the specialists almost a year. It is known that after the arrival of the new government, Evita’s body was stolen and hidden in Italy, where the caretaker fell in love with it and could not curb his sexual fantasies!

3. Rosalia Lombardo (1918 – 1920, Italy)

Deep in the catacombs of the Capuchin friars in Sicily, inside a small glass casket lies the body of little Rosalia Lombardo. When the girl died of pneumonia in 1920, her father, General Lombardo, could not cope with the loss. He found embalming specialist Alfredo Salafia, and was ready to give all the money so that only his daughter’s body could be preserved. And thanks to a mixture of chemicals, including formalin, zinc salts, alcohol, salicylic acid and glycerin, a phenomenal result was achieved! After a while, the body was given the name “Sleeping Beauty” and there was even a buyer who bought it!

Look how innocence is preserved on Rosalia's face. And today this mummy is not only the best preserved in the world, but also the most visited in the catacombs.

Well, this x-ray of Rosalia shows that her brain and internal organs are intact, although they have shrunk over time.

4. Lady Xin Zhui (died 163 BC, China)

This deceased woman's name was Xin Zhui, and she was the wife of the imperial viceroy of Changsha County, Marquis Dai, during the Han Dynasty.

Perhaps the woman’s name would have sunk into oblivion if she had not been mummified after death. The body of the Chinese woman was fantastically preserved 2,100 years after her death, and today scientists are scratching their heads over the mystery of the mummy, better known as “Lady Dai.”

Believe it or not, Xin Zhui's skin is still soft, her arms and legs can bend, her internal organs remain intact, and her veins still contain blood. Somehow, the mummy even had eyelashes and hair...Today it has been precisely established that during her lifetime, Xin Zhui was overweight, she suffered from lower back pain, clogged arteries and heart disease.

5. “Virgin” or 500-year-old mummy girl

And you definitely haven’t forgotten this 15-year-old, which has lain in the ice for almost 500 years!

6. Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov (1852-1927, Russia)

If you still don’t believe in miracles, then it’s time to visit Buryatia and look at the incorruptible body of the head of the Buddhists of Eastern Siberia, monk Dashi-Dorzhi Titgelov, who sits in the lotus position.

But, the most amazing thing is that the body is in the open air, and not only does not decompose, but also exudes a fragrance!

7. Man of Tollund (390 BC - 350 BC, Denmark)

Another amazing discovery of the “living” dead is a human body that has lain in the peat bogs of Tollund (Denmark) since the 4th century BC!

The "Man from Tollund" was found in 1950. Then archaeologists determined that the deceased was most likely hanged - he had a swollen tongue, and in his stomach there was a portion of eaten vegetables and seeds!

Alas, time and the swamp preserved the body, but people could not - today only the head, legs and thumb remain intact from the find.

8. Tattooed Princess Ukok (lived around the 5th century AD in Siberia)

Another creepy greeting from the past - Altai princess Ukok.

They found the mummy lying on its side with its legs drawn up.

The princess had numerous tattoos on her arms! But the find was dressed even more interestingly - in a white silk shirt, a burgundy woolen skirt, felt socks and a fur coat. The complex hairstyle of the deceased is also unique - it is made of wool, felt and her own hair and was 90 cm in height. The princess died at a young age (about 25 years old) from breast cancer (during the study, a tumor in the breast and metastases were discovered) .

9. Imperishable Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879, France)

The miller's daughter Maria Bernadette was born in Lourdes in 1844.

It is known that for short life(the girl lived for 35 years and died of tuberculosis) the Virgin Mary (the white lady) appeared to her 17 times, during which she indicated where to find a spring with healing water and where to build a temple.

After death and burial, Bernadette Soubirous was canonized, and therefore the body had to be exhumed and embalmed. Since then, it has been buried and exhumed two more times, before finally being placed in a golden reliquary in the chapel and covered in wax.

10. John Torrington (1825 – 1846, UK)

Sometimes nature can preserve a body much better than embalming experts. Here's how, for example, the body of John Torrington, senior officer of the legendary Franklin expedition to the Arctic Circle. The researcher died of lead poisoning at the age of 22 and was buried in the tundra along with three others at a campsite. In the 1980s, Torring's grave was exhumed by scientists in order to find out the reason for the failure of the expedition.

When the coffins were opened and the ice thawed, the archaeologists were amazed and frightened by what they saw - John Torrington was literally looking at them!

11. Beauty Xiaohe (Lived 3800 years ago, China)

In 2003, during excavations ancient cemetery Xiaohe Mudi archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved mummy, named after the location - Beauty Xiaohe.

You won’t believe it, but this beauty in a felt hat, after 4 thousand years of being underground in a coffin-boat with bags of herbs, had intact skin, hair and even eyelashes!

12. Cherchensky man (died about 1000 BC, China)

In 1978, a mummified “Cherchen man” dating back to 1000 BC was found in the Taklamakan desert. e. The Cherchenets was blond with light skin, 2 m tall, dressed in clothes made of European wool. He died at the age of 50.

The discovery of this mummy forced historians to rethink everything they knew about the interaction of Eastern and Western civilizations!

13. George Mallory (1886-1924, UK)

In 1924, climber George Mallory and his partner Andrew Irvine could have been the first to reach the summit of Everest, but, alas... For 75 years, the fate of the dead climbers remained a mystery, and in 1999, the NOVA-BBC expedition managed to discover the well-preserved body of J. . Mallory in clothes torn by the wind!

Researchers found that the two climbers were connected, but Irwin lost his grip and fell.

14. Ramesses II the Great (1303 BC - 1213 BC, Egypt)

The mummy of one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt, Ramesses II the Great, is one of the most unique finds of our time. For more than 100 years, scientists have been engaged in a fierce battle to find out the cause of death of a personality of such magnitude. And the answer was found after a computed tomography scan. It turned out that a penetrating cut (7 cm) was found on the pharaoh’s throat all the way to the spine, which affected not only the blood vessels, but also the trachea and esophagus!

15. Wet mummy (lived 700 years ago, China)

In 2011, construction workers were digging the foundation for a new road when they unearthed the mummy of a woman who lived 700 years ago during the Ming Dynasty.

Thanks to the moist soil, the woman’s body was remarkably preserved. Moreover, her skin, eyebrows and hair are not damaged!

But the most impressive thing is the jewelry found on the “wet mummy” - a silver hairpin, a jade ring on a finger and a silver medallion for exorcism.

16. Otzi or ice man from Tyrol (3300 BC -3255 BC, Italy)

Ötzi Iceman (Otzi the Iceman) is the best preserved natural human mummy from around 3300 BC (53 centuries ago). The discovery was made in September 1991 in the Schnalstal glacier in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabhoch, on the border between Austria and Italy.

It got its name due to the place where it was discovered. Scientists have found that the cause of death of the “ice man” was most likely a blow to the head. Today his body and belongings are on display at the Museum of Archeology of South Tyrol in Bolzano, northern Italy.

17. Man from Groboll (late 3rd century BC, Denmark)

In the mid-20th century, several perfectly preserved bodies were discovered in a peat bog in Denmark. The most attractive of them, so to speak, turned out to be the “man from Groball.” You won't believe it, but he still had nails on his hands and hair on his head!

Radiocarbon dating of his intact (!) liver showed that he lived more than 2,000 years ago, and died when he was about 30 years old, probably from a deep cut in the neck.

18. Tutankhamun (1341 BC - 1323 BC, Egypt)

Remember, just recently we remembered, and finally found out what Tutankhamun was like during his life.

Today the discovery of the pharaoh's mummy can be considered the most a unique find humanity - well, at least remember that the tomb of Tutankhamun was not plundered by ancient robbers and, in addition, all subsequent hoaxes associated with “curses” after the opening of the tomb by G. Carter.

Only, alas, it is worth admitting that of all the surviving “living” dead, Pharaoh Tutankhamun was not in the most “attractive” form.

The mummies of Egypt are one of the mysteries of humanity. And despite the fact that many secrets have already been revealed, many questions remain on this topic.

Mummies began to attract the attention of the world community, scientists, and tourists relatively recently.

The time of the surge occurs around the time of the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb.

Today it is known that the ancient Egyptians needed mummies not in order to leave a place on the planet in which the soul would live, but rather to communicate with the spiritual world, the afterlife, into which souls went after death.

The body, mummified, according to the inhabitants of ancient Egypt, connected the soul and the earth and served as a kind of conductor.

True, not everyone could afford to order mummification, but only rich and famous people.

The exception was. A special crypt was created for them during their lifetime, dishes and various household items necessary for the life of an ordinary person were prepared.

All this, after the death of a person, was stored in the crypt, and his body was prepared accordingly.

What were mummies made from?

Who was mummified:

• pharaohs. Firstly, they were famous and rich, and secondly, they were prescribed extraterrestrial abilities and divine origin. Pharaohs were not just leaders, rulers and leaders of sorts, but also those who were worshiped;
• Egyptian mummies were also created for animals that were considered sacred. Usually these were cats and bulls;
• birds. Falcons and hawks were also considered sacred. People tried to imitate them, thus adopting, in their opinion, the important abilities of these unique living beings. Mummies were created from these considerations.

Who created mummies in Egypt

The first stage in the development of mummification is embalming. It is believed that the first person to practice this was Anubis. He was a guide of souls from the world of the living to the world of the dead.

Subsequently, Anubis taught people to do the same as he did, thereby passing on the skill.

At the moment, no one can say for sure how exactly Anubis' abilities were transferred to people. But since then, Egyptian mummies were created to be simply perfect, and they have survived to this day in the same pristine condition.

Besides, archaeological excavations, the study of crypts and other activities to study everything related to mummification, led to the discovery of vessels with contents used to create mummies.

Surprisingly, the properties of the elixirs remained unchanged, despite thousands of years of age.

Overall unique, it can be considered both in a general sense and in the context of an individual tribe. And it is difficult to meet a person in Africa who does not believe that Egyptian mummies are the result of the work of a superman who had unique abilities in early times.

How exactly were mummies made in Egypt?

Essentially, a mummy is the body of a person or animal, impregnated with an embalming compound. The body was wrapped in bandages, abundantly and tightly enough so that the preservative substances were preserved where their effect was necessary.

It is also noteworthy that only specially selected priests were engaged in mummification.

No one else knew what the balms were made of and how they were applied. One thing was known - mummification takes a lot of time, about two months.

Embalming began with the removal of the deceased's organs from his body. They were not thrown away, but they tried to keep them intact.

This was done so that after death, in the afterlife, the creature could take advantage of everything it might need. The body was freed from everything except the heart.

As for the brain, there was a special approach. The brain, according to the Egyptians, was not needed; more precisely, people simply did not know what its purpose was.

To remove the brain completely, special dissolving agents were used. The main goal was to preserve appearance bodies unchanged.

The next stage is filling the almost empty body with fabric with a composition that does not allow the remains of the body to decompose. Today, how mummies were made is thoroughly understood.

The last thing that was done was to bandage the outer part of the body with bandages soaked in the same composition.

This was how mummification was initially, but later some techniques were improved.

Thus, aromatic products were developed that served a similar purpose, but reduced the time required to fully prepare for the creation of a mummy.

The essence of the procedure for creating a mummy in Egypt was reduced to the following actions:

• first the body was freed from organs;
• then it was filled with oils;
• after a few days the oils were removed;
• the body was dried;
• after 40 days the body was treated externally.

Later, it was created, which involved more thorough external preparation of the mummy. They painted her, decorating her cheeks and lips in bright colors, and did her hair.