Scientists have used high-resolution CT scans to digitally unwrap the remains of an ancient Egyptian woman known as the “Braided Lady”, uncovering new details about her health, burial and possible role in a funerary ceremony.
The mummy is thought to date from a period spanning Egypt’s 18th to 21st Dynasties. Researchers studied her remains to learn more about how she lived and what may have happened at the end of her life.
Her most striking feature is her exceptionally well-preserved, lengthy braided hair, which has survived for more than 3,000 years.
Her teeth, however, revealed a different story. They showed extensive wear and damage, likely caused by the gritty particles and sand that were commonly present in the diet of ancient Egyptians.
The examination also identified gum disease, a broken molar and an incisor pushed backwards toward the throat.
According to the researchers, these unusual dental findings could be evidence that the woman underwent, or was associated with, an ancient Egyptian funerary ritual.
“Dental wear and pathology were observed, likely reflecting the abrasive diet of ancient Egyptians, and unique dental findings suggested participation in the ‘Opening of the Mouth’ ritual,” the team reported in the journal Radiology Case Reports.
The ceremony was carried out after death and was intended to restore the deceased person’s senses so they could use them in the afterlife.
Her exceptionally long, braided hair is one of the mummy’s most striking features and has survived for more than 3,000 years
High-resolution CT scans digitally revealed gum disease, a fractured molar and an incisor displaced towards the throat
The woman was first found in a collection of mummies in Egypt before being transported to Canada in 1860.
She is estimated to have lived between 1077 BC and 1292 BC, placing her death roughly 3,000 to 3,300 years ago, during a powerful period in ancient Egyptian history.
A research team led by a University of Michigan scientist examined the mummy using computed tomography scans.
By combining hundreds of X-ray images, CT technology produces highly detailed three-dimensional views of the body. This allowed the scientists to investigate the remains without physically unwrapping or damaging them.
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The resulting images showed that the mummy was remarkably well preserved, with evidence of both bone and soft tissue still visible.
The scans indicated that some internal organs had been left inside the body during embalming, including portions of the liver.
Dried brain tissue was also present, suggesting that embalmers had not removed the brain during the mummification process.
Researchers said this combination of embalming methods matches practices associated with affluent, non-royal Egyptians during the New Kingdom.
Although the mummy was examined in detail, researchers found no fatal injury or clear disease that could account for her death
Parts of the internal organs, including remnants of the liver, remained inside the body (yellow arrow)
The Braided Lady was a small woman, measuring approximately 4ft 11in (151cm) in height. Scientists estimate that she was between 35 and 50 years old when she died.
Yet despite the extensive investigation, the scans found no evidence of a lethal injury or a clearly fatal illness.
Several small areas of calcification may indicate that she suffered from a chronic parasitic infection, the researchers said.
Such infections were common in ancient Egypt, where communities lived near the Nile and depended on its water for drinking, bathing and farming.
However, the findings are not definitive, and there is no evidence that the possible infection caused her death.
The cause of death of the Braided Lady therefore remains unknown, more than three millennia after her burial.
“Despite limitations posed by tissue desiccation and lack of historical records, this multidisciplinary radiological assessment advances our understanding of ancient Egyptian funerary practices and demonstrates the value of modern non-invasive imaging in reconstructing the lives and deaths of archaeological individuals,” the researchers concluded.