Archaeologists have just discovered a special, never-before-seen Egyptian mummy buried with a golden tongue.
Two millennia ago, ancient Egyptians were buried in the temple of Thonis-Heracleion outside Alexandria. Their organs were removed and their bodies were wrapped in linen. A 2,000-year-old mummy carries a golden tongue-shaped amulet in its mouth so that the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ could speak to the gods, like Osiris in the afterlife.
The Golden Tongue Mummy is among countless mummies recently discovered in Alexandria, Egypt, by a team of Egyptian and Dominican archaeologists. The excavation team found 16 pits dug into the rock beneath the temple.
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the mummies were discovered in a “poor state of preservation,” indicating that this was a typical mummification practice in Greek and Roman times.
The excavation team believes that two of the most important mummies found were buried in decorative carvings around a funerary capsule in an embryonic position, wrapped in a material made of papyrus and linen. One of the mummies had a golden tongue-shaped amulet placed inside its mouth, symbolizing the ability to speak with the gods in the afterlife, specifically Osiris.
This discovery is significant and sheds light on the mummification practices and rituals of the ancient Egyptians in the Greco-Roman era.
Two mummies were also buried with scrolls that are currently being deciphered.
Archaeologists found another mummy wearing a death mask, helping guide the soul of the deceased into the body and protecting it in the afterlife. Marble human heads. PH๏τo: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The expedition also discovered eight marble heads dating to the Greek and Roman periods, said Khaled Abul-Hamad, head of the Alexandria Ministry of Antiquities. The heads were sculpted to resemble their owners, who may have been buried in the temple.
It is not the first time that the Temple of Taposiris Magna, or the “great temple of Osiris”, has excited archaeologists. Martínez believes that the legendary Queen Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt who died in 30 BC, was buried here.
In July, Martínez found a mummy that had been gilded before being buried, indicating a burial after the time of Cleopatra’s reign. The gold coverings show that these two peoples played an important role in ancient society. Martínez also found coins minted during the reign of Cleopatra at the site.
But according to former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawᴀss, who worked with Martínez for a decade, there is “no evidence” that Cleopatra was buried at Taposiris Magna. Elizabeth Taylor as Queen Cleopatra. PH๏τo: 20th Century Fox “I now believe that Cleopatra was buried in a mausoleum that she built next to her palace, which was underground,” Hawᴀss told LiveScience. “The queen’s tomb will never be found.”
Archaeologists discovered Queen Cleopatra’s palace more than four decades ago, not far from the eastern port of Alexandria.
