13 Mummies With Gold Tongues And Nails Were Uncovered In Egypt
At the site of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt, 13 ancient mummies with gold tongues and nails were discovered. The finds were made at a cemetery in Al-Bahnasa in the Minya governorate, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
During ancient Egypt’s Greco-Roman period, Oxyrhynchus was a major city that stood from the late fourth century B.C. until the seventh century.
When the archaeological team dug down to the bottom of a burial shaft at the ancient settlement, they found a hall with three chambers that held several tombs.
The tombs date back to the Ptolemaic period, which lasted from 305 B.C. to 30 B.C. when the kingdom was defeated and annexed by Rome.
The Ptolemaic dynasty descended from a royal Macedonian family that ruled Egypt following Alexander the Great’s conquest of the territory.
Some of the mummies in the tombs were found with pieces of gold that resembled human tongues. The bodies possibly belonged to elite individuals who had ties to the temple and animal cults that were prevalent in the area.
Such golden tongues have been uncovered at Oxyrhynchus and other sites in Egypt before, although they are rare.
Ancient Egyptians may have placed gold tongues in mummies to help the dead speak so they could communicate with Osiris, the god of the underworld, and find their way into the afterlife.
“The Egyptian people deposited the golden tongues on the tongue to restore vital functions to the dead and also so that the body remained intact in the afterlife. For the Egyptians, gold was the flesh of the gods,” said Esther Pons Mellado and Maite Mascort, co-directors of the archaeological mission.
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Gold nails were also found with the remains, and the reason for their presence may be due to their association with the belief that gold has protective qualities.
During their excavations, the archaeological mission encountered other kinds of artifacts, such as 29 amulets, with some in the shape of scarab beetles.
In ancient Egypt, scarabs were linked to the sun’s movement across the sky. The other amulets were made in the likenesses of Egyptian deities, including Horus, Osiris, and Isis.
Furthermore, colorful inscriptions and wall paintings were identified. One painting depicted a tomb owner by the name of Wen-Nefer and his family members, who were accompanied by multiple Egyptian deities.
On the ceiling of one of the chambers, another painting shows the sky goddess Nut surrounded by stars and sacred vessels against a white and blue background. There is also a painting with several deities on a boat.
This was the first time that these kinds of scenes have been revealed in the Al-Bahnasa area. The quality of the paintings was amazing and the colors were bright and fresh for being so old.
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