The mummy of an Egyptian boy was buried with a “second heart” of gold

A 2,300-year-old mummy of a teenage boy was digitally extracted using X-rays and 49 precious protective amulets, including a golden scarab representing a heart, were found.

A digital scan of an Egyptian mummy has revealed a buried teenage boy with a “second heart” made of gold, along with dozens of other amulets that the ancient Egyptians considered important to the afterlife.

The mummy, which has not been touched in the basement of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo since 1916, dates from around 300 BC. during the Ptolemaic period.

Sahar Saleem of Cairo University digitally unwrapped the small gold-covered mummy using computed tomography (CT), which involved using hundreds of high-resolution X-ray images to map the skeleton and soft tissues and identify 49 amulets of 21 types.

In addition to finding a three-centimeter gold scarab in the chest cavity of the mummy, symbolizing the heart, Salim and her team found a golden tongue in the area of ​​the mouth of the skull, a two-finger amulet next to the embalming mark on the left thigh, and other religious amulets made of gold, semi-precious stones and bright ceramics.

The boy’s own heart remained in his chest as a spiritual symbol, the researchers say, as is usually the case with Egyptian mummies.

The amulets were supposed to have protective properties for the difficult journey to the afterlife, which the Egyptians believed came after death. “The boy’s family offered him a very expensive level of embalming so that he would be properly prepared and equipped for the underground journey to reach the afterlife safely,” Salim says, such as sandals to get out of the coffin and a golden tongue to speak. With.

The researchers used computed tomography to 3D print a reconstruction of the golden heart. “The big golden heart scarab amulet is really amazing, especially after I opened it up and was able to hold it in my hands,” Salim says. “The reverse side of the 3D printed amulet was engraved with signs that could represent inscriptions and spells.”

These inscriptions appear to have included verses from the Egyptian book of the deadwhich states that the heart scarab is needed to silence the heart when judged by the gods on the way to the afterlife.

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