Mummies

Mummies provide a window into the traditions and rituals practiced by ancient cultures. Modern analyses on their bones, teeth, hair and preserved soft tissues can also provide information on the health conditions these ancient people experienced, as well as what type of food they ate. Here's the latest news on mummies and what analyses have revealed about their lives.

Related Topics: Ancient Egypt, Archaeology,

Latest Updates

ancient tomb of goldsmith and wife discovered in Luxor, Egypt.

Ancient Goldsmith's Tomb Filled with Mummies Discovered in Luxor

By Owen Jarus published

A 3,500-year-old tomb built for a goldsmith named Amenemhat and his wife Amenhotep has been discovered at the ancient cemetery of Dra' Abu el-Naga in Luxor.

Multiple coffins were found inside the tomb, including this one.

In Photos: Ancient Tomb Full of Mummies Discovered in Luxor

By Owen Jarus published

Photos reveal the ancient tomb of a goldsmith and his wife discovered in Luxor in Egypt.

A series of Egyptian tombs dating back about 2,000 years, to the time when the Romans controlled Egypt, have been discovered at Bir esh-Shaghala in the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt.

2,000-Year-Old Tombs from Roman Period Found in Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

A series of tombs dating back about 2,000 years, to the time when the Romans controlled Egypt, has been discovered.

Indian chameleon

Cold-Blooded Mummy: How India's Hot Weather Preserved a Reptile

By Laura Geggel published

wood-prosthetic-toe.jpg

3,000-Year-Old Wooden Toe Prosthetic Discovered on Egyptian Mummy

By Kacey Deamer published

The 3,000-year-old wooden toe was recently reexamined by researchers.

The ancient tomb found on Sai Island seems to have been built for a man named Khnummose. His remains remains along with those of possibly his wife were buried there.

Ancient Tomb of Gold Worker Found Along Nile River

By Owen Jarus published

A 3,400-year-old tomb holding the remains of more than a dozen possibly mummified people has been discovered on Sai Island, along the Nile River.

Inside the 3,400-year-old tomb on Sai Island, archaeologists found this stone shabti, meant to do the work of the deceased in the afterlife.

Photos: 3,400-Year-Old Tomb Along Nile River

By Owen Jarus published

Images reveal an ancient tomb and burial chambers holding possibly mummified individuals. The tomb was discovered on Sai Island, located in Sudan along the Nile River.

The mummified head of Nebiri, an Egyptian dignitary who lived under the reign of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Thutmoses III.

The Mummy Returns: Egyptian Dignitary's Face and Brain Reconstructed

By Rossella Lorenzi published

An international team of researchers has reconstructed the face and brain of a 3,500-year-old Egyptian mummy, revealing a unique "packing" embalming treatment.

Scientists sequenced DNA from mummies from the settlement of Abusir el-Meleq, south of Cairo, and were buried between 1380 B.C. and A.D. 425.

Surprising Find: Ancient Mummy DNA Sequenced in First

By Tracy Staedter published

For the first time, researchers have successfully sequenced the DNA from Egyptian mummies.

Archaeologists and others can enter the catacomb at the site of Tuna el-Gebel in Egypt only through this narrow shaft leading underground.

Underground Catacomb Filled with Mummies Discovered in Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists have discovered an underground catacomb containing numerous mummy-filled corridors at an ancient cemetery at the site of Tuna el-Gebel in Egypt.

userhat egyptian tomb

Tomb Full of Mummies Unearthed at Luxor

By Owen Jarus published

Several mummies and more than 1,000 figurines have been discovered at an ancient cemetery located at Luxor in Egypt, archaeologists reported.

A mummified cat from the University of Aberdeen Museums has been made into an interactive 3D model.

Surprise! What 3D Scan Revealed Inside Egyptian Cat Mummy

By Knvul Sheikh published

Researchers are using high-tech 3D imaging software to reveal what is inside a 2,000-year-old Egyptian cat mummy and other ancient mummified artifacts in the museums' collections.

mummies exhibit

'Gilded Lady' and Other Exquisite Mummies on Display in NYC

By Laura Geggel published

mummies exhibit

Photos: The Amazing Mummies of Peru and Egypt

By Christine Lunsford published

Child mummy

Smallpox Found in Lithuanian Mummy Could Rewrite Virus' History

By Laura Geggel published

The mummy of a child discovered in a crypt beneath a Lithuanian church harbors the oldest sample found to date of the virus that causes smallpox, a new report said.

Crocodile Mummy Kept Dozens of Baby Crocs Under Wraps

By Mindy Weisberger published

High-resolution scans of a sizable Egyptian crocodile mummy revealed unexpected stowaways that the croc had literally been keeping under wraps for 2,000 years.

crocodile mummy and babies

Photos: 'Giant Crocodile' Mummy Is Packed With Baby Crocs

By Mindy Weisberger published

Under a mummified crocodile's bandages hid dozens of baby crocodiles, each one individually swaddled.

Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in 1991 by hikers in the Alps.

Iceman Killed After Sneak Attack From Behind

By Rossella Lorenzi published

The latest theory about how Ötzi was killed emerged from a three-day conference about the mummy.

Researchers took skin samples from this ancient Egyptian mummy stored in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy.

Skin Proteins from Mummies Reveal How Ancient Egyptians Died

By Rossella Lorenzi published

Proteins from the mummies' skin and muscle samples show the people likely had cancer, lung infections and other diseases.

3D-Printed Skull from Egyptian Mummy

Egyptian Mummy's Face Recreated with 3D Printing

By Richa Malhotra published

An Egyptian mummy's head and face have been reconstructed with forensic science and 3D printing, offering scientists a tantalizing glimpse of the individual's life and death.