| Egyptian Infant | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Unknown |
| Age | 7-8 Months |
| Sex | Male |
| Status | high |
| Height | Unknown |
| Source | |
| Culture | Egyptian |
| Date(s) | 30 BC and AD 130 |
| Site | |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Saint Louis Science Center |
| Catalog # | |
The mummy of an infant child was first acquired by a Missouri dentist at the turn of the century when he was touring the Middle East. At some point, someone cut away the wrappings around the shoulders, leaving the head exposed. Upon the dentist's death, the mummy was relegated to a relative's attic. It was finally donated to the St. Louis Science Center in 1985. where is sat in storage for 30 years.
In 2007, the mummy was subjected to advanced research techniques.
Mummification[]
A CT scans revealed a long wooden rod against the child's back that supported the mummy wrapping. A hole was found in the child's skull for removal of the brain. Small incisions on the left side of the body were detected, through which the child's internal organs were removed.
Studies[]
Carbon dating suggested the child had lived between 30 BC and AD 130, Egypt's Roman period. The child's bones, skull, teeth suggested the child lived to be seven or eight months old. Extracted DNA showed the child was a boy and his mother was European.
CT scans, showed four amulets, or fragments of amulets, buried within the wrapping covering the child. A second scan, more than 10 years later, revealed that a fifth amulet can be seen inside the chest cavity where the heart once would have been. It has been speculated that the fifth amulet could possibly be a heart scarab. The evidence of the amulets suggest a well to do family.
Pathology[]
Researchers have found no evidence of disease and the cause of death is unknown.
External Links[]
https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/scans-baby-mummy-dinosaur-skulls-offer-clues-ancient-pasts/
https://www.livescience.com/1386-modern-technology-reveals-baby-mummy.html
References[]
Bhandari, Tamara. (2015, September 21). Clues to ancient past: baby mummy, dinosaur skulls scanned. Retrieved from https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/scans-baby-mummy-dinosaur-skulls-offer-clues-ancient-pasts/