'Significant finding': First pregnant Egyptian mummy discovered by Polish researchers

An Egyptian mummy previously believed to be a priest has turned out to be a pregnant woman, scientists from Warsaw University said. The discovery, first of its kind anywhere in the world, was made as part of the Warsaw Mummy Project. The researchers, who since 2015 have been working to thoroughly examine human and animal mummies from Ancient Egypt at the National Museum in Warsaw, uncovered the body’s true identity after spotting a tiny foot in the abdomen on a scan. 

According to the Associated Press, the Polish researchers said that X-rays and computer tests revealed that the mummy had been seven months pregnant. The mummy had arrived in Warsaw in 1826 and the inscription on the coffin named a male priest. No examination until the current one had disproved the belief that it was a male. 

While speaking to the media outlet, Marzena Ozarek-Szilke, an anthropologist and archaeologist said, “Our first surprise was that it has no penis, but instead it has breasts and long hair, and then we found out that it’s a pregnant woman. When we saw the little foot and then the little hand (of the fetus), we were really shocked”. 

‘Most significant finding’ 

The Polish researchers estimated that the woman was between 20 and 30 years old. The size of the baby’s skull, on the other hand, suggested that she was 26 to 28 weeks pregnant. the scientists said that the fetus is curled in the embryonic position and its gender is unknown.  

Team member Wojciech Ejsmond of the Polish Academy of Sciences, said, “This is our most important and most significant finding so far, a total surprise. It opens possibilities of learning about pregnancy and treatment of complications in ancient times”. 

Now, scientists plan to conduct additional studies on the mummy of a pregnant woman. So far, non-invasive tests involving CT scans and X-rays have been carried. In the next stages, the researchers plan to take micro-samples not to damage the mummy but to get to know more about the ancient Egyptian culture and understand the cause of the woman's death. They also plan to collect remnants of the woman’s blood and are hopeful that their research will be able to get more answers about the mysterious mummy, because of the good condition of the remains. 

(Images: WarsawMummyProject)