Scientists have successfully extracted DNA from a 4,000-year-old mummy, unraveling the mysteries of a tomb discovered over a century ago.
The head of the mummy displayed in a museum.
According to Live Science, in 1915, scientists discovered an incomplete tomb in Egypt. Instead of a complete mummy, only the head was found atop a coffin, while the body and the tomb itself had been looted since ancient times.
The New York Times reports that researchers believe this is the tomb of an Egyptian official named Djehutynakht. However, thieves had burned the tomb to erase evidence and stole numerous treasures from antiquity.
For over a century, scientists have debated whether this head belonged to the aforementioned official or his wife. Determining the sex of the mummy has been challenging due to the missing body parts and difficulties in extracting DNA.
In an article published in The New York Times, researchers suggest that the thieves set fire to the site to cover their tracks.
The remnants found in the tomb leave people uncertain whether the mummy is that of Djehutynakht or his wife. This has remained the greatest mystery surrounding this mummy for more than 100 years.
Another intriguing discovery is that the structure of the mummy’s head was altered during the embalming process, including the removal of some jaw and cheek bones, based on the belief that it would allow the mummy to eat and drink in the afterlife.
Efforts to identify the mummy have been hampered by the degradation of preservation conditions, making it very difficult in the past.
In a recent effort, scientists drilled into a molar that had been extracted intact in 2009 and employed the most advanced DNA techniques available today, which indicated that the mummy belonged to a man.
Some scientists assert that it is still not possible to definitively conclude whether this mummy belonged to Djehutynakht because this is only the conclusion from a few studies; however, the biggest mystery regarding the sex of the mummy has been clarified.
