Mummies of ancient people. Famous mummies and their mysterious stories

Incredible Facts

In modern society, death is treated differently than in the distant past.

Unlike us, who consider funerals to be a sad event, our ancestors held whole holidays with the performance of complex mystical rituals.

These creepy yet fascinating rituals were mandatory in ancient society when it came to human burial.

Sometimes even the dead have their own fascinating stories.

Ramesses

1. Ramesses III

We know the following about the ancient Egyptians: they skillfully built pyramids, and also embalmed with a special composition of the body of the dead. Well-preserved mummies are a kind of window that allows us to look into the distant past.

A few mummies from that period have survived and come down to us, but the mummified remains of Ramesses III are of particular interest to archaeologists. This is one of the most mysterious figures of ancient Egypt.

Mystery in the museum: the ancient Egyptian statue began to turn itself

Ramses III was a pharaoh who dutifully served Egypt during the reign of the 20th Dynasty. For more than a thousand years, scholars have been actively discussing the events leading up to his death. Fortunately for scientists, his body was treated with a complex of complex substances, thanks to which, even after centuries the remains are preserved.

Many questions were answered after the tomb of Ramesses was discovered by archaeologists. Experts found on the neck deep cut 7 cm long.

According to scientists, it was this cut that caused the rupture of large blood vessels, the esophagus and trachea, which led to the death of one of the greatest Egyptian pharaohs. Presumably, Ramesses was killed by his sons.

2. Man from Grauballe

In the middle of the last century, archaeologists discovered several mummies in the peat bogs of Denmark, which, despite their age, remarkably well preserved.

Among all the bodies found, scientists were especially struck by the mummified body of a young man.

Surprisingly, the mummy's facial features are preserved, and a mop of fiery red hair frames the skull of the deceased. And the whole mummy as a whole is a spectacle not for the faint of heart.

Thanks to radiocarbon analysis carried out by experts on the remains of the liver, the exact date of the guy's life was established. Experts believe that the young man lived in the very first years of our era.

Presumably, the guy was killed as a result of a ritual sacrifice to the gods. He died at the age of just under 30. A deep cut was found on the neck, proving that the young man had died a violent death.

3. Princess Ukok

If you need extra proof that tattoos are forever, Princess Ukoka can easily prove that they are.

While the body itself is not particularly well preserved, the princess's mummified skin can be traced with intricate tattoos, despite the fact that The princess died over 2500 years ago.

As the examination showed, Ukoka died at the age of 25. Digital scanning made it possible to better examine the tattoos, which include images of animals. One can clearly distinguish the outline of a deer, but not ordinary, but mythical, with the horns of a goat and the beak of a griffin.

Researchers believe that Princess Ukok was a member of the Pazyryk tribe that lived in the mountains of Siberia. Representatives of this nomadic tribe were deeply convinced that it was tattoos help people find each other in the afterlife.

In those days, it was believed that the more complex the drawing on the body was, the more chances its owner had to find relatives after death.

Near the body of the princess, found in 1993, the remains of six horses were found. Ancient people believed that horses played an important role in escorting people to the afterlife.

4. Wet Mummy

In 2011, during the construction of a new road in China, the mummy of a woman who lived 600 years ago during the reign of the Ming Dynasty was found.

Despite the fact that the dead body lay in the wet ground for several hundred years, it was surprisingly well preserved. The skin of the mummy survived from decomposition, hair and eyebrows also remained untouched by time.

Time also spared the jewelry, among which was found a jade ring and a silver hairpin supporting the hair of the deceased. The face was framed by several elaborate pieces of jewelry that the woman apparently wore during her lifetime.

This mummy is the greatest mystery of the century. One of the rarest cases of a mummified body found in China.

According to archaeologist Victor Mair, there is very little evidence that the practice of mummifying the bodies of the dead was used in China. As a rule, the bodies of high-ranking members of the communities were embalmed in this way.

The mummy of a woman lay in the damp earth, but was practically not destroyed by time. Experts insist on the version that the soil in this area contains a small amount of oxygen. It was this fact that prevented the bacteria from subjecting the body to the normal process of decomposition.

5. Tutankhamen of Torquay

Mummifying one's own body after death is a very unpopular choice these days. However, as practice has shown, there are always rare exceptions in life.

Allan Billis not only voluntarily chose to have his body mummified, but also agreed to broadcast the process itself on television.

The 61-year-old taxi driver, who died in 2011 of lung cancer, was nicknamed by journalists as “Tutankhamun of Torquay”. Before his death, the man bequeathed his body to science.

Strange microbes allowed mummies to be perfectly preserved

Thanks to the work of Dr. Stephen Buckley, Billis' corpse was the first body in over 1,000 years to be mummified using the same ancient Egyptian technique, which was used to embalm Tutankhamen, who died more than 3000 years ago in 1323 BC.

The family of the deceased taxi driver agreed with the man's desire to devote his body to science. The wife of a deceased taxi driver jokes sadly that she is the only woman in the country who has the mummy of her own husband.

6. Dashi - Dorzho Itigelov

During the life of Dasha - Dorzho Itigelov was a monk. One night in 1927, he declared to his students and brothers in the faith that his time has come. He was ready to go to the other world, but first he asked everyone to join him in meditation.

Legend has it that Dashi-Dorzho died quietly while meditating. Shortly after his death he was buried seated in a lotus position in a pine coffin, which was specially cut for such a not quite familiar posture of the deceased.

A few years later, the monk's body was removed from the coffin. To the surprise of everyone, the corpse was perfectly preserved and remained sitting in the same lotus position. He was again buried in the earth, the coffin was placed in a salty environment.

And just recently, the monk's body was exhumed for the second time. Scientists and forensic experts were amazed that the body was preserved in almost perfect condition. Time has no power over a mummy.

Analysis of skin and hair samples showed that the cells of his body resembled a dead man who died within 36 hours, and not who died almost 100 years ago.

Franklin Expedition

7 The Franklin Expedition Mummies

In 1845, an expedition led by John Franklin (John Franklin), consisting of more than 100 people, went to the New World in the hope of finding the northwest passage, the legendary trade route to Asia. Two ships carrying all the members of this expedition, without reaching the goal, went missing.

The search for the missing expedition began only in 1848. In 1850, the graves of three members of the missing crew were found on Beechey Island.

More than a century later, in 1984, a group of anthropologists went to the region to conduct a forensic medical examination. After the exhumation of the bodies, it became clear that all three bodies were perfectly preserved. According to experts, this much merit of permafrost in the tundra.

Due to the fact that the bodies found were in excellent condition, it was possible to establish the probable cause of death of a man who died 138 years ago.

Specialists found signs of pneumonia and tuberculosis, as well as huge amount of lead which could have caused the death of sailors. Perhaps lead entered the body of travelers through the water.

Lithopedion

8. The woman who gave birth to a mummy

In 1955, Zahra Abutalib went into labor pains. The woman went to the hospital to have a baby. However, after much torment, Zahra could not be born, and The doctor strongly recommended a caesarean section.

But frightened of the operation, the woman in labor left the hospital. Some time later, the baby died in the womb. Zahra refused to remove his body from the womb. The dead child remained inside the mother.

After 46 years, the woman began to be disturbed by excruciating pains in the abdomen. Doctors took an X-ray, which showed that the remains of her child, who died almost half a century ago, were preserved inside the woman.

2000-year-old mummy has cancer

A similar phenomenon of fetal mummification in the womb is called lithopedion. This doesn't happen often. History has about 300 such cases. The reason for this process is the inability of the body to expel the dead fetus.

In order to protect itself from all kinds of infections caused by tissue decomposition, the body begins to intensively produce calcified material around the fetus, thereby turning it into something stone-like. Thus, the body in the womb is rarely mummified.

9. Donsella

Donsella, or young maiden, is the well-preserved body of a 15-year-old Inca girl.

Apparently, she was sacrificed to the gods over 500 years ago. The sacrifice ceremony took place on the top of the Argentine volcano Llullaillaco, located at an altitude of 6700 m above sea level.

Her remains, along with those of two young children, were discovered in 1999. Thanks to a special examination, experts found out that during her lifetime the girl suffered from a disease similar to tuberculosis or a chronic infection of the lungs.

Inca children were sacrificed by drugging them with alcohol and coca leaves.

In those days, such ailments could well lead to death. It is believed that the girl died of hypothermia.

Obviously, before the death of the girl, she was treated with special care. Cocaine leaves were found in her mouth. The Incas used them to counteract the effects of altitude sickness.

It is worth noting that if someone was sacrificed to the gods, it was considered a great honor among the Incas.

Evita Peron

10. Wife of Argentine President Evita Peron

During her lifetime, Eva Peron was the wife of Juan Peron, who served as President of Argentina from 1946 to 1955. She was the first lady of the country, who was loved by the people.

On July 26, 1952, at the age of 33, Evita died of cancer. The body of a young woman was embalmed using a cocktail of various ingredients. This was done in order to ensure that thousands of people have the opportunity to see their pet as beautiful as she was in life.

Then in 1955, Evita's body was stolen by anti-Peronists, opponents of her husband. It took almost 15 years before specialists found the mummified corpse of the former first lady of Argentina.

In the end, Eva's body was returned to her husband, who had already managed to marry a second time. His new chosen one was a woman named Isabelle.

Unfortunately, it turned out that over the years Evita's corpse suffered several blows. Blunt marks were found on the woman's face, and a finger was missing from her hand.

Peron and his new wife decided to keep the body of their late wife at home. It may even be shocking, but it is known that the second wife of the president combed Eva's hair daily and seated the corpse at the dinner table.

There were rumors that the woman even lay down in the coffin next to the deceased, "hoping to absorb some of Evita's magical energy."

Today, the body of the first wife of the Argentine dictator is finally laid to rest. Evita is buried in the family vault. And many years after his death, the mummified corpse is exactly where it should be.

Some people live after death. Swamps, deserts, permafrost present scientists with surprises and sometimes keep bodies unchanged for many centuries. We will talk about the most interesting finds that amaze not only with their appearance and age, but also with tragic destinies.

Loulan beauty 3800 years old

In the vicinity of the Tarim River and the Taklamakan Desert - in places where the Great Silk Road ran - over the past quarter century, archaeologists have found more than 300 mummies of white people. Tarim mummies are distinguished by their tall stature, blond or red hair, blue eyes, which is not typical for the Chinese.

According to different versions of scientists, these could be both Europeans and our ancestors from Southern Siberia - representatives of the Afanasiev and Andronovo cultures. The oldest mummy was perfectly preserved and was named the Loulan beauty: this young woman of model height (180 cm) with neat braids of flaxen hair lay in the sands for 3800 years.

It was found in the vicinity of Loulan in 1980, a 50-year-old man of two meters in height and a three-month-old child were buried nearby with an ancient “bottle” made from a cow horn and a nipple made from a sheep's udder. Tamir mummies well preserved due to the arid desert climate and the presence of salts.

Princess Ukok 2500 years old

In 1993, Novosibirsk archaeologists, who were exploring the Ak-Alakha mound on the Ukok plateau, discovered the mummy of a girl about 25 years old. The body lay on its side, legs bent. The clothes of the deceased are well preserved: a shirt made of Chinese silk, a woolen skirt, a fur coat and stockings-boots made of felt.

The appearance of the mummy testified to the peculiar fashion of those times: a horsehair wig was put on a shaved bald head, arms and shoulders were covered with numerous tattoos. In particular, a fantastic deer with a griffin's beak and ibex's horns, a sacred Altai symbol, was depicted on the left shoulder.

All signs indicated that the burial belonged to the Scythian Pazyryk culture, common in Altai 2500 years ago. The local population demands to bury the girl, whom the Altaians call Ak-Kadyn (White Lady), and journalists call the Princess of Ukok.

They argue that the mummy guarded the "mouth of the earth" - the entrance to the underworld, which now, when it is in the Anokhin National Museum, remains open, and it is for this reason that natural disasters have occurred in the Altai Mountains in the past two decades. According to the latest research by Siberian scientists, Princess Ukok died of breast cancer.

Man from Tollund over 2300 years old

In 1950, the inhabitants of the Danish village of Tollund mined peat in a swamp and, at a depth of 2.5 m, found the corpse of a man with traces of violent death. The corpse looked fresh, and the Danes immediately reported to the police. However, the police had already heard about the swamp people (the bodies of ancient people were repeatedly found on the peat bogs of Northern Europe) and turned to scientists.

Soon the man from Tollund (as he was later called) was brought in a wooden box to the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. The study revealed that this 40-year-old man, 162 cm tall, lived in the 4th century BC. e. and died of suffocation. Not only his head survived perfectly, but also his internal organs: liver, lungs, heart and brain.

Now the head of the mummy is exhibited in the city museum of Silkeborg with the body of a mannequin (its own has not been preserved): on the face you can see the stubble and the smallest wrinkles. This is the best preserved man from the Iron Age: he looks like he did not die, but fell asleep. In total, more than 1,000 ancient people have been discovered in the peat bogs of Europe.

Ice Maiden 500 years

In 1999, on the border of Argentina and Chile, the body of a teenage girl from the Inca tribe was found in the ice of the Lullaillaco volcano at an altitude of 6706 m - she looked as if she had died a couple of weeks ago. Scientists have established that this girl, 13-15 years old, who was called the Ice Maiden, was killed by a blunt blow to the head half a millennium ago, becoming a victim of a religious rite.

Due to the low temperature, her body and hair were perfectly preserved along with clothes and cult objects - bowls of food, statuettes made of gold and silver, and an unusual headdress made of white feathers of an unknown bird were found nearby. The bodies of two more Inca victims, a girl and a boy aged 6–7, were also found.

During the study, scientists found that children were prepared for a cult for a long time, fed with elite products (llama meat and maize), stuffed with cocaine and alcohol. According to historians, the Incas chose the most beautiful children for rituals. Doctors diagnosed the Ice Maiden with the initial stage of tuberculosis. The mummies of Inca children are on display at the Museum of Highland Archeology in Salta, Argentina.

Petrified miner circa 360 years old

In 1719, Swedish miners discovered the body of their colleague deep in a mine in the city of Falun. The young man looked like he had recently died, but none of the miners could identify him. A lot of onlookers came to look at the deceased, and in the end the corpse was identified: an elderly woman bitterly recognized him as her fiance - Mats Israelsson, who went missing 42 years ago (!).

In the open air, the corpse became hard as a stone - such properties were given to it by vitriol, which soaked the body and clothes of the miner. The miners did not know what to do with the find: whether to consider it a mineral and give it to the museum or bury it as a person. As a result, the Petrified Miner was put on display, but over time began to deteriorate and decompose due to the evaporation of vitriol.

In 1749, Mats Israelsson was buried in the church, but in the 1860s, during the repair of the miner, they dug up again and showed the public for another 70 years. Only in 1930 did the petrified miner finally find peace in the church cemetery in Falun. The fate of the failed groom and his bride formed the basis of Hoffmann's story "Falun Mines".

Conqueror of the Arctic 189 years

In 1845, an expedition led by polar explorer John Franklin set out on two ships to the northern coast of Canada to explore the Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

All 129 people disappeared without a trace. During search operations in 1850, three graves were discovered on Beechey Island. When they were finally opened and the ice melted (this happened only in 1981), it turned out that the bodies were perfectly preserved due to the conditions of permafrost.

A photograph of one of the deceased - British stoker John Torrington, originally from Manchester - flew around all publications in the early 1980s and inspired James Taylor to write the song The Frozen Man. Scientists have established that the stoker died of pneumonia aggravated by lead poisoning.

Sleeping Beauty 96 years old

In Palermo, Sicily, there is one of the most famous exhibitions of mummies - the catacombs of the Capuchins. Here, since 1599, the Italian elite were buried: the clergy, aristocracy, politicians. They rest in the form of skeletons, mummies and embalmed bodies - more than 8,000 dead in total. The last to be buried was a girl, Rosalia Lombardo.

She died of pneumonia in 1920, seven days short of her second birthday. The heartbroken father asked the famous embalmer Alfredo Salafia to save her body from decay. Almost a hundred years later, the girl, like a sleeping beauty, lies with her eyes slightly open in the chapel of St. Rosalia. Scientists recognize that this is one of the best ways to embalm.

The mummies of Egypt are one of the mysteries of mankind. 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 falls around the time of the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamen.

Today it is known that the ancient Egyptians needed mummies not 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 fell after death.

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

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

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

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

What were mummies made of?

Who was mummified?

• pharaohs. Firstly, they were famous and rich, and secondly, they were prescribed extraterrestrial abilities and divine origin. The pharaohs were not just peculiar leaders, rulers and leaders, but also those who were worshiped;
• Egyptian mummies were also created for animals that were classified as sacred. Usually they 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. From these considerations, mummies were created.

Who created the mummies in Egypt

The first stage in the development of mummification is embalming. It is believed that Anubis was the first to practice this practice. He was the 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 exactly how Anubis' abilities were transferred to people. But since then, Egyptian mummies have been created simply perfect, they have survived to this day in the same pristine state.

In addition, archaeological excavations, studies of crypts and other research activities related to mummification have led to the discovery of vessels with contents used to create mummies.

Surprisingly, the properties of elixirs have remained unchanged, despite the millennium age.

In general, unique, it can be considered both in a general sense and in the context of a separate tribe. And it is difficult to meet a person in Africa who would not believe that the 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

In fact, a mummy is the body of a person or animal, impregnated with an embalming compound. The body was wrapped in bandages, and it was plentiful and dense enough so that the preservative substances were preserved where their effect was needed.

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

No one else knew what 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 fact that the organs of the deceased were removed 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 use everything that he 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, or rather, people simply did not know what its purpose was.

To remove the brain completely, special dissolution agents were used. The main goal was to preserve the appearance of the body unchanged.

The next stage is the filling of the almost empty body with a tissue with a composition that does not allow the remains of the body to decompose. The way the mummies were made is perfectly clear today.

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

This was mummification initially, but subsequently some techniques were improved.

So, aromatic products were developed that carried a similar purpose, but reduced the time required for full preparation 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 the 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. She was painted, making her cheeks and lips in bright colors, did her hair.

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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 being), subjected to special chemical treatment, as a result of which the process of tissue decomposition stops or slows down. For the first time the word "mummy" appears in European languages ​​(in Byzantine, Greek and Latin) around 1000. It comes from the Persian word "mum" ("wax"). The word "mumia" Arabic and Jewish medieval healers meant a special medicine. The ancient Egyptians themselves called mummies "sahu".

Ancient Egypt is probably the most famous civilization of the ancient world, which made mummies from the dead. In the philistine mind, the mummies of the pharaohs are most of all 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, aristocrats. The process of processing a corpse was full of various subtleties that were known only in ancient Egypt.

Superstitious inhabitants of the African country believed that the mummies of the pharaohs help their owners to go freely to the afterlife. In the mass consciousness, there was a strong opinion that the 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 unique Egyptian invention. Neither in the Mediterranean nor in Mesopotamia was anything like that built then. The most famous are

Mummification

The Egyptians believed that death was a transition to another world, where the dead would need their bodies. In order for the body not to decompose, it was subjected to a 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 lot of the elite, but, in fact, it could be bought if a person wanted to ensure a peaceful stay in the afterlife, and also if he had enough money for this. But, there were procedures available only to the pharaohs and their family members. For example, only their organs were placed in special vessels (canopies).

The masters who were engaged in mummification were privileged members of society. They knew the science of embalming, which was inaccessible to others. Over the centuries of the existence of the Egyptian civilization, these secrets did not become 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 appropriate. After all the conditions were discussed, the craftsmen set to work. The process of mummification 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 extract the brain through the nostrils with an iron hook. In this way, only part of the brain is removed, the rest - by injecting dissolving drugs. Then, an incision is made with a sharp Ethiopian stone just below the abdomen and the entire abdominal cavity is cleaned from the insides. After cleaning the abdominal cavity and washing it with palm wine, the masters then clean it again with crushed incense. Finally, the womb is filled with pure, ground myrrh, cassia, and other spices (except frankincense) and sewn up again. After that, the body is placed in soda lye for 70 days. More than 70 days, however, it is impossible to leave the body in lye. After the expiration of this 70-day period, they wash the body, wrap it around with a bandage from linen linen cut into ribbons and smear it with gum (it is used instead of glue) ”(Herodotus, 2.86).

This is the first, best method of embalming in Herodotus' description. The second, cheaper, is as follows: “With the help of a washing tube, cedar oil is injected into the abdominal cavity of the deceased, without cutting, however, the groin and without extracting the insides. Oil is injected through the anus and then, plugging it up so that the oil does not leak out, they put the body in soda lye for a certain number of days. On the last day, the previously poured oil is released from the intestines. The oil acts so strongly that it decomposes the stomach and entrails, which come out with the oil. Soda lye decomposes meat, so that only skin and bones remain from the deceased ”(Herodotus, 2.87).

The third method, intended for the poor, is even simpler: “They pour radish juice into the abdominal cavity and then put the body in soda lye for 70 days. After that, the body is returned to the relatives” (Herodotus, 2.88).

Organs removed from the corpses of pharaohs and their families were not thrown away or destroyed. They also kept. After extraction, the organs were washed, and then immersed in special vessels with balm - canopes. In total, each mummy was supposed to have four canopies. The lids of the canopies, 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 with the head of a falcon, and Imset with a human head. Certain organs were placed in certain canopies: Imset kept the liver, Duamutef the stomach, Kebeksenuf the intestines, and Hapi contained the lungs.

Organs in 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, in the future, also regularly served their owners in the other world. The same was with the organs that were supposed to return to the pharaohs when they find themselves on the other side of being.

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 their lifetime facial features. Many Egyptians kept their dead relatives at home, and because they were well preserved, they admired them.

Members of the same family, as a rule, had their own tomb, which became the family crypt. Thebes was the ancient capital of Egypt. It is in its place that the famous Valley of the Kings is located. This is a vast necropolis, which kept many of the mummies of the pharaohs. The valley was discovered almost by accident by the Rasul brothers during their expedition in 1871. Since then, the work of archaeologists has not stopped here for a single day.

Mumiyo is mine

The mummy's value lies in the jewels that surround it and its historical significance, from understanding the embalming process to genetic research. But, some time ago, mummies were another rather strange interest...

Mumiyo is an organo-mineral alternative medicine product of natural origin. Mumiyo resembles that thick black composition with which the Egyptians embalmed the bodies of the dead from the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. Since the demand for this remedy was very high, in later times the hardened mass began to be scraped off skulls and bones, scraped from body cavities and processed. In acute deficiency, there was no need to be scrupulous: the mysterious embalming agent was smeared along with withered muscle fibers and skeletal remains. Shilajit obtained in this way could be supplied in large quantities.

Mumiyo - the so-called earthen, or rather, mineral resin, known by the Greek name "asphalt". It was highly valued as a remedy for various bodily ailments. But, rare raw materials were clearly not enough. This craft of mumiyo began a monstrous robbery of Egyptian tombs. At first it was about a universal remedy, then real hell began. The extract extracted from mummies was not cheap. Entrepreneurial merchants and Alexandria made sure that mumiyo became an important export to Europe. They hired whole crowds of Egyptian peasants to excavate necropolises. Merchant corporations exported ground human bones to all parts of the world - and made good money.

In the XIV - XV centuries, mumiyo became a common remedy sold in pharmacies and herbal shops. When raw materials became scarce again, 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 separated from the bones; the oily liquid dripped from the cauldron and, poured into flasks, was sold to the Frank merchants for big money. According to the documents, in 1420, the city judge of Cairo ordered the flogging of several grave defilers until they confessed that they had dismembered the corpses of people and, in a kind of "pharmaceutical lard", processed them into a salable drug. And in 1564, the French doctor Guy de la Fontaine from Navarre, in the warehouse of one of the merchants in Alexandria, discovered piles of bodies of slaves that were intended for processing into the notorious drug.

The Egyptian authorities tried to put an end to the trade in corpses by issuing a law. However, no regulations have been able to curb the export of shilajit. The profits were so high and tempting that transports with large loads of mumiyo (mummies) continued to cross the Mediterranean and reach Europe.

Over the centuries, dozens of recipes have been cited for making medicines with the addition of, for example, a quarter ounce of powder from a mummy or a piece of her burial veil. Magical recommendations were also given: the mummy's hand, lying in a casket made of Lebanese cedar, protects the house and property from adversity, and the nail from the mummy's middle finger, worn around the neck in a silk bag, ensures the benevolent 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 valued cheaper. True, when more ancient remains were found in Egypt, their prices decreased.

Mummies were very difficult to transport. The crew often began to loudly protest, threatening to leave the ship - the sailors were afraid of the death of the galley and other misfortunes. Sometimes, however, prayers and sprinkling of mummies with holy water helped. According to the stories of many sailors, on the sides of sailboats trying to take the remains of ancient inhabitants out of Egypt, ghosts in ancient Egyptian robes appeared, and angry voices were heard in the roar of the storm, shouting out curses in an incomprehensible language.

The captain of the French galley Laurel Belle, which in 1729, by order of a certain Marseille collector, transported two sarcophagi with mummies, swore upon arrival that during the entire two-week journey ahead of the ship, foggy 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 allegedly helped with pneumonia and pleurisy. The French doctor Savary was so convinced of the healing power of this drug that he considered the assertion proved that only completely black and pleasantly smelling mummies have a positive therapeutic effect. Kings, princes and ordinary townspeople continued to look for a drug to which rumor attributed fabulous properties. People no longer saw the difference between the natural medicine of antiquity and that 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 of simple and noble rank, were dragged out of the tombs, torn to pieces while still in the burial chambers; they turned first to dust and ashes, and then, in sealed porcelain vessels, they went to the international market. So, the remains of those who lived in the era of the pharaohs were taken out of 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 a few ounces of a mixture of "real" shilajit.

Mummy of Cheops

One of the most famous is the mummy of Pharaoh Cheops. His figure was known ancient historians, including Herodotus. This pharaoh was indeed 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 oversight. He was merciless towards his enemies. Such a character was familiar to the rulers of Ancient Egypt, whose power, as contemporaries believed, came from the gods, which gave the pharaohs carte blanche to 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 precisely the pyramid that was built for his own mummy. The rulers of Egypt were preparing 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 rest. 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 place of his tomb. They became a plateau on the territory of the modern city of Giza. In his era, it 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 to the whole world as well as the pyramid itself. Cheops expected 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 all his long life (1279 - 1213 BC). His name went down in history thanks to a series of military campaigns against neighbors. The conflict with the Hittites is best known. 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 approved 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, 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 in my harem it was as beautiful as in his own." And my father's choice was good. Obviously, of these first spouses, 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 confidant. And it was she who gave birth to the first son of Amonkherkhopeshef, whose hot blood manifested itself at the age of five, during a military campaign.

But, Nefertari had to share her husband with rivals, to whom the pharaoh often gave his favor, performing a diplomatic duty. The loving Ramses shared his bed with his closest relatives. At least one of his sister and two daughters were legally married to him. And the daughter of Mary-Tamun, apparently, after the death of her mother, Nefertari took her place as the Great Queen.

Probably, Ramses II was over 90 when he died in the 67th year of his reign. X-rays of the mummy convincingly say that his body was affected by arthritis and that the aged pharaoh lived for a long time in severe insanity. But he didn't want to die. Ramses survived 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 the procession to the tomb prepared for his father long ago in the Valley of the Kings...

Unlike the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom, who found their chambers in tombs near the pyramids, the rulers of the New Kingdom set up their necropolis on the slope of Mount Qurnus - carved into the rocks, with well-hidden entrances and false passages inside. In the darkness, and by an imperceptible stone threshold, millennial tombs with luxurious ornaments, statues, sarcophagi and treasures were waiting for their researcher. So, in the Valley of the Kings, the family mausoleum of Pharaoh Ramses II was discovered. 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 finally united in death, who during their lifetime suffered from their powerful, domineering and tenacious father and quarreled with each other all the time because of his inheritance.

“This was the tenth, last and most terrible plague of Egypt, which was sent by the God of the people - 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 woman, 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 in the end the priests found a new place for the body. They 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.

In 1881, the untouched mummy of Ramses II fell into the hands of scientists. When the body, which had remained under a tight shroud for three thousand years, was unswaddled, some muscle unbent in it - and before the eyes of the scientists, the pharaoh raised his hand. That was the last royal gesture of the great Ramses. In 1975, the remains were subjected to a unique modern conservation procedure that allowed the surviving artifact of the past to be preserved. The greatest of the pharaohs is now a museum piece. His withered body is on display in a glass case at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The Egyptian Museum of Cairo is a real collection of antiquities and Mumuys. There are always a lot of people there. On one of the usual hot days, when stuffiness enveloped the halls of the museum, after sunset, electric lights were turned on in the building. And then the unthinkable happened. From the sarcophagus where the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II was kept, a lingering sound was emitted. The hinges of the tomb creaked. And then those present saw a picture from which everyone shuddered. The mouth of the king's mummy was twisted by an inaudible scream. The body trembled, the embalming bandages burst, and the arms crossed over the chest straightened, striking the glass lid of the sarcophagus with force. The pieces scattered in all directions. People in a panic rushed to the stairs, one 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 a strange "behavior of the mummy" is quite simple. With the accumulation of people in the hall, unbearable stuffiness and humidity were created. And the mummy should be kept in the dry air of a cool tomb.

Whatever it was with the climatic conditions, but, the mummy froze, turning its head in a northerly direction - towards the Valley of the Kings. The broken glass was soon replaced. Hands swaddled, as before, in a cruciform state. However, the face of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt remained turned to the north.

Mummy of Tutankhamen

But, the most famous mummy of Tutankhamun. This pharaoh ruled at a young age from 1332 to 1323 until
ad. He died at the age of 18 - 20 years. During his lifetime, he did not stand out in a series of his predecessors and successors. His name became known due to the fact that his tomb was not touched by ancient marauders.

Who was the last to be seen by the Pharaoh's almond-shaped eyes before closing forever? Scientists who have studied the mummy of Tutankhamun are inclined to the version of his violent death. Scientists have made about 50 x-rays of the head of the mummy of the pharaoh, perfectly preserved to this day. The pictures clearly show that the bones of the skull are unusually thin in the ear area. This gave reason to believe that it was in this place that one or even several blows were delivered. Most likely, scientists suggest, Tutankhamun really received a blow to the temple with some kind of blunt object, say, a wooden mallet for a gong. But, he only stunned him. Then followed the second blow, fatal for the pharaoh, who before that, it seems, was prudently drugged. However, even then, the mortally wounded Tutankhamen 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, parting with the body shell, relentlessly pursues the tormentor. But, who could dare to kill the pharaoh?

Tutankhamun's wife, 16-year-old Ahnesepaaten, apparently, nevertheless, 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 millennia (!!!), 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 no less famous beautiful wife Nefertiti. The reign of Tutankhamun is the time of Egypt's exit from the civil war caused by the struggle of two religious directions. The assassination of Tutankhamen was, apparently, the last desperate attempt of Akhenaten's supporters to declare themselves, to try to regain power. But, this is only one of the possible versions of the death of the young pharaoh.

However, the very mummy of the pharaoh of Egypt refutes the violent death. The tomb in which she was kept was full of bottles of malaria medicine. Modern DNA analysis has not ruled out the version that the young man had a serious illness, due to which he died prematurely.

Approached the truth investigated after studying the gene pool of his family. “Artifacts have shown 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 found 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 diseases. He had brittle bones and wolf
mouth. The boy clubfooted and dragged his left leg - the left foot was twisted. Congenital dislocation. A more thorough scan showed that the boy was far from handsome. But, and call him a freak, too, the language does not turn. Although Tutankhamen's teeth were crooked. In addition, the pharaoh also had genetic ailments: which turned him almost into a woman - with thick hips and a 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. In people with this disease, when exposed to sunlight, activity and religious zeal are noted.

Perhaps Tutankhamun was the weakest and most infirm of the pharaohs. The clue to the state of his health was in his tomb, where about 130 walking sticks were found. It was the tomb of Tutankhamen 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 filled up the entrances to the underground tombs with tons of rubble and stones, created false passages, and carefully masked the real ones, set up deadly traps. The inscriptions on the tombs threatened curious terrible death and deprivation of the afterlife - "their bodies will not wait for rest, punishment will fall on their descendants." And sometimes, if the criminals could read, it helped.

The mystery of the "curse of the Egyptian pharaohs" that has excited the minds of historians, archaeologists, physicians and just curious people all over 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 collected a collection of uniqueness, bought a lid removed by "tomb robbers" from the sarcophagus of some Egyptian mummy. A couple of days after the acquisition, during a hunt, a gun exploded in Murray's hands, and the collector lost his arm. A little later, the lid of the sarcophagus was loaned to them for 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 friend, 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 ran into reefs and sank near the Cape of Good Hope.

In 1860, during the excavation of the pyramid, five local residents found a tomb with the mummy of the high priestess of the temple of Pharaoh Amenemhet II Amon-Ra from the city of Great Thebes. The sarcophagus with the mummy was bought from them by four British archaeologists. The Arabs started a quarrel among themselves because of the money received, which ended in a bloody fight. They all died from stab wounds. These were the first five victims of the Egyptian priestess.

The Egyptologist, who was transporting the mummy to Cairo, injured his finger on the sarcophagus, as a result of which he received blood poisoning. Surgeons had to urgently amputate his hand to save his life (think about it, because of a 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 a fever. The fourth was crushed in the street by a cart of a draft cab ...

The next owner, a London antiquary, on the third day after acquiring the mummy, lost his young wife: she died after falling from a horse. A journalist who was preparing an article for a ladies' magazine about the priestess of Amun-Ra had a series of misfortunes during the month of work on the report: her mother died, the groom broke off the engagement, two young and healthy spaniels suddenly died. The girl fell into a severe depression and refused to work on the article. Friends helped her find a Scottish fortune teller who performed special cleansing rituals to get rid of evil spells.

The photographer, who was commissioned by the Egyptian authorities to take pictures of the priestess, went crazy. His imagination painted terrible pictures for him - the priestess came to life and thirsted for the blood of the people who had awakened her. To the dismay of the witnesses, a mask appeared on the photographic negatives, which in no way resembles 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 illness and after a couple of days gave his soul to God.

The object was cataloged as 22542 and placed in the first Egyptian room. Rumors soon spread that the curator of the Egyptian collection of the museum, Sir Ernest Badge, who was keenly interested in magic, received a secret order during one of the seances to get rid of the mummy and save only the empty sarcophagus. It was said that for a very long time they could not find a buyer for the remains of the priestess. It wasn't until 1912 that an eccentric American millionaire purchased the mummy and sent it to the New World aboard the Hampshire steamer. On the way to New York, the ship sank. There are other versions of the disappearance of the mummy. Anyway, since then, the sarcophagus is empty.

In 1921, at night, in the presence of several witnesses, a rite of exorcism was held in the museum. But it is not known whether he helped - almost daily at the glass display case with the sarcophagus, those who stare too long at the image of the calm, thoughtful face of the deceased priestess faint. And museum workers, especially night watchmen, assure that from time to time in the corridors adjacent to the hall, you can see the ghost of a woman, easily gliding through the air, wrapped in linen ribbons, with her hands tightly pressed to her body ...

In 1890, Professor Soren Resden from Göttingen unearthed a burial in the Valley of the Kings and immediately
stumbled upon an ominous warning: "He who desecrates the tomb of the temple scribe Sennar will be swallowed forever by the sand before the moon changes its face twice." Resden, however, continued to 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 fell out of the fist of the deceased ...

On April 4, 1912, one of the most grandiose ships in history, the Titanic, sailed off the coast of Southampton. He went to New York. There were 2,000 passengers on board the ship. It was run 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, completely unaware of their consequences. He ordered to increase the speed, 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 foret, 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. A figurine of Osiris was placed under the head of the mummy, on which the words were inscribed: "Arise 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 have been known to suffer from mental confusion and delusions. Maybe it was this mummy of Ancient Egypt that became a trap for Captain Smith? After all, we all know well what eventually 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 punish twice anyone who dares to desecrate this grave." These words were not an empty threat. The head of the excavation, Zaki Hawass, suddenly suffered a heart attack, which almost led to death. The earthquake destroyed the home of his archaeologist colleague who was at the dig. Ultimately, the train carrying the recovered valuables derailed and most of the artifacts were completely destroyed.

But, the most famous story about the curse of mummies is connected with the misfortunes that befell everyone who was present at the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamun. As you know, the leaders of the expedition, the British Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, their secretaries, servants, as well as members of their families and even dogs died under mysterious circumstances within a few years after the opening of the tomb.

For several years, one by one, all the members of the expedition who excavated 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, historians of world renown: La Flor, Callender, Winlock, Astori...

Lord Carnarvon, who financed the excavations, died on April 5, 1923, 4 months after he had been in the tomb at the Continental Hotel in Cairo from pneumonia, and hoaxes around his death arose almost immediately.

On May 16, 1923, 59-year-old American financier George Gould, who also visited the tomb, died of transient pneumonia against the backdrop of a fever caught in Egypt.

On July 10, 1923, a member of the Egyptian royal family, Prince Ali Kamel Fahmi Bey, who was present at the opening of the tomb, was shot dead by his wife.

On September 26, 1923, after a dental operation, Carnarvon's half-brother, traveler and diplomat Colonel Aubrey Gerber, died of blood poisoning.

Archibald Juglas was entrusted with the X-ray examination of the mummy extracted from the golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun
Reed. His work was carried out flawlessly and deserved high praise from experts. But, as soon as he arrived at home, he felt a sharp attack of nausea, weakness, and after two hours of delirium died.

On November 19, 1924, Governor-General Sir Lee Stack was shot dead by a terrorist in Cairo.

On April 6, 1928, archaeologist Arthur Mays died at the age of 54. His health had gradually deteriorated since the opening of the tomb and was the subject of press attention and speculation, officially it was stated that the researcher died from arsenic poisoning.

On May 26, 1929, Carnarvon's younger half-brother Marvin Herbert died of "pneumonia associated with malaria".

On November 15, 1929, Carter's secretary, Captain Richard Barthel, died unexpectedly. A young, healthy man had a heart failure. The story of the curse of the pharaoh went all over Europe.

On February 20, 1930, Bartel's father Sir Richard, Baron Westbury, threw himself from a seventh floor window; according to some newspaper reports, the hearse with the body of the baron crushed the boy to death in the street.

Joffrey Dean, chief physician at Port Elizabeth Hospital, found a virus - a fungus that caused the symptoms that patients had: dizziness, weakness, loss of reason. Any animal, including bats, could become spreaders of pathogens. It was they who were the permanent inhabitants of the chambers of the pharaoh of ancient Egypt. This disease is transmitted by the respiratory route, therefore, the nurse of Lord Carnarvon soon suffered the same fate.

In 1962, after the announcement of the result of research on pathogenic bacteria by Dr. Dean, physician Ezzeddin Taha from the University of Cairo called a special meeting. 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 found the presence of microscopic fungi Aspergillus niger, which for a long time remained closed in pyramids and tombs. The scientist concluded that now you can quite safely go in search of new treasures, since there is a vaccine against these pathogenic bacteria. Perhaps science would have known the true causes of the death of Lord Carnarvon and the members of the team, if he himself had not suffered the same fate: the curse killed Taha.

Desert road in the middle of the sands between Cairo and Suez. A car passing by here is a rarity. No road markings, signs, sharp turns and descents. Dr. Taha, traveling with two co-workers, took this road to Suez. There was an accident on the road, they crashed with a limousine: all three died on the spot, the passengers and the driver of the other car were not injured. At autopsy, an embolism was found in the airways of a physician - 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 tomb of the pharaoh remained a mystery. Scientists have also put forward a version that in ancient Egypt a recipe for preparing poison was known with the help of these very microorganisms. He served as the best protector for the treasures of the tombs and the peace of the pharaohs.

But what about the fate of Howar Carter, who spent many years, day after day, in a stuffy crypt in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor? He was tormented by a constant migraine, he suffered from hallucinations. However, he lived after the opening of the tomb for quite a long time. It can be assumed that due to long contact with these bacteria, his body developed immunity.

Along with poisonous mixtures, there were other protective means that the priests in ancient Egypt used to protect burials with mummies, including those in the 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", personifying the spiritual power, that is, the soul, and "Ka", which was the unity of Hat and Ba. The inner essence of each person, his Ka, is individual and unique. This beginning provides a protective shell for the energy field and provides a connection between the two beginnings.

Ka governs only the living body. As soon as a person goes to the Kingdom of the Dead of Osiris, Ka loses control and peace. In order to mitigate the fate of Ka, prayers were read, rituals of sacrifice were performed. The image of the deceased was depicted on sarcophagi and tombs. They helped Ka find a new shell and incarnate in it. For this reason, Ka was tied to the burial place. The angry spirit, left without its abode, the body, did not spare anyone. The ancient Egyptians firmly believed in his existence and were afraid of his wrath. There were those who skillfully controlled this energy, mostly priests.

This explains the fact that not ordinary citizens were engaged in robberies, they would not dare to disturb the peace of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. The tombs were plundered by those who possessed knowledge and had the appropriate rank in the performance of religious services. They possessed data on the exact location of the tomb and treasures.

Scientists have established that the tomb of Tutankhamen has already been opened. This is evidenced, as Carter himself claimed, royal seals. Probably, the burial place was discovered by Oremheb, who was in the position of the chief military commander under the pharaoh Tutankhamun in Ancient Egypt. After the death of the young king, he took his throne, continuing the dynastic line. Whether Oremheb was guilty of 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 discovery 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 involved in the construction of the tomb died. They knew the entrances and exits, the location of corridors and cells. But, the reason was not only this. Their essence Ka, which did not find rest in the crypt, was bound to 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 excavation site in the Valley of the Kings. Archaeologists have discovered here hundreds of immured crypts with mummies. Did they all bear the same seal of curse?

Archaeologist Belzoni spent several years doing research in Luxor. Here is 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 cursed 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 closeness of the narrow rooms of the tombs makes it impossible to breathe. Many workers faint. And all this in the heat of +45 - +60°C. Fine sand - limestone is constantly pouring from the ceiling. The lungs are saturated with this mixture. The nose and throat do not breathe. Also, don't forget, we're surrounded by a lot of mummies that give off fumes. Sunlight practically does not penetrate these places. We light candles or torches, while seeing a terrible sight of mummies around. One day, I accidentally sat on someone's mummified remains instead of a wooden chair. The feeling was uncomfortable."

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 the ancient Egyptians used resins extracted from the Red Sea coast when carrying out mummification. They contained radioactive particles. Mummies' bandages found in tombs were soaked in this substance. Obviously, the dust in the crypts was a source of radiation. This suggests that the ancient Egyptians used this substance in their religious ceremonies. Most likely, they personified him with the incarnation of Ra - the cult of the Sun.

But, more recently, a group of physicists from the National Center for Nuclear Research of Egypt disproved this theory. According to experts, Egyptian mummies found at different times in ancient burials do not contain any radioactive elements and are absolutely safe for human health.

With the help of the most modern instruments, specialists studied more than 500 mummies in various museums in Egypt for almost a year. Examination was made not only of the remains of such legendary figures as the pharaohs Ramses II and Amenhotep, exhibited in the Cairo National Museum, but also the mummies of hundreds of unknown viziers and entourage, which were kept at the medical faculty of Qasr al-Aini University. The experiments carried out made it possible 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 assert that mummies have a very negative energy field, therefore, they should be studied with extreme caution. It seems that the mysteries of the ancient Egyptian civilization will never be fully solved.

Johannes Krause, a paleogeneticist at the University of Tübingen, said that the genomes of three of the 151 mummies that the German researchers worked with were completely restored. Their DNA is well-preserved despite the hot Egyptian climate, the high humidity in the burial sites, and the chemicals used for embalming.

The restoration of the genome promises - albeit in the long term - the restoration of its owner. By cloning. Which will suit the ancient Egyptians, who hoped to somehow and someday rise from the dead. For this they became mummies. As if they foresaw that the remains of flesh and bones would come in handy...

Tours to Egypt – specials of the day

Last week the internet was buzzing with the discovery of a mummy "alien" near the Nazca lines. However, let's be clear right away: this "discovery" has all the signs of a hoax, and not a very good one at that.

Evidence of alien origin?

The mummy covered with white powder was called the "alien" because the "creature" found had six fingers and toes each. In addition, the elongated skull of the mummy was also perceived as a kind of mysterious sign, despite the fact that such burial practice was quite common in the pre-Columbian era in Peru.

The "discovery" of the mummy was first announced by Gaia.com, a website that describes itself as a skeptical portal against "conventional wisdom" (most often evidence and logic). A series of videos related to this "find" is filled with questions about what this creature could be. Also, the authors of the videos conclude that the “find” is clearly of extraterrestrial origin.

mummy DNA

“From the DNA sample, we were able to determine that this is a woman who was named Maria, since the mummy lacks a Y chromosome,” Mikhail Aseev, head of the genetic analysis department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented in the video.

It is worth explaining the previous paragraph in more detail. If a team of scientists was really able to extract and analyze DNA, and even find out that the mummy belongs to a woman, then she can just as well determine whether this creature was a person or not. And let me assure you, if researchers do find alien DNA, they won't announce it through a dodgy site called Mysterio.

Also, a quick Google search reveals that Mikhail Aseev has nothing to do with the Russian Academy of Sciences or the Institute of Molecular Genetics.

Hoax lovers

If all this information did not convince you, then you should tell about one more important fact. It turns out that the three members of the "expedition" who found the mummy have been involved in the creation of hoaxes in order to earn money more than once. For example, Jamie Maussan and Jesus Zalche Benitez in 2015 announced another “alien” mummy, which actually belonged to an ordinary child. Information about this mummy appeared in a non-commercial source called Be Witness.

The third member of the team of scientists, Dr. Konstantin Kototkov, who also claims that the mummy from Peru belongs to an alien creature, has previously claimed to have a camera that can photograph souls.

Mummification technique

The last point that many Internet users have noticed concerns the mummification technique. Real mummies found by scientists usually look leathery (after all, their skin dries out during the mummification process), while a recent find looks very much like a plaster sculpture with tight-fitting fingers attached to it.

This "discovery" has more red flags than a rodeo, so it's highly unlikely that it will be the first evidence of aliens.