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HomeCivilisationAncient EgyptGolden Nails and Painted Faces: The Remarkable Preservation of an Unknown Mummy

Golden Nails and Painted Faces: The Remarkable Preservation of an Unknown Mummy

Mummy of an adult man, name unknown. The embalming process was carried out with great care and skill, skillfully imitating the rounded and shapely contours of a living body.

The features of the face are painted on the outermost wrappings. Each finger and toe is individually wrapped, and the forearms are adorned with bandages arranged in geometric patterns. The nipples, fingernails, and toenails are gilded, and a lotus flower is painted on each knee. The mummy is further decorated with a waistband, armlets, and anklets made of plaited cordage, with cross straps of similar material passing behind the neck and across the abdomen and thighs.

Mummy of an adult man

**Skull** – Based on the appearance of the nasal region, it can be deduced that the brain was removed through the nostrils. The face and nose are modeled in resin-soaked linen, with the nose unusually retaining its prominent form. Part of the skull is obscured, but there are clear fractures, and the cervical spine is intact. The individual suffered from severe dental disease, with several missing teeth and multiple abscesses.

**Thorax and Abdomen** – The upper thoracic bones are packed with a dense, homogeneous mass likely composed of sand, mud, and resin. A similar mass fills the pelvis. These masses are located within the body cavity. Among these masses are four dense cylindrical opacities. Two are in the lower part of the right hemithorax, one is positioned horizontally above the pelvic filling, and another less dense cylindrical object is just below the two in the right hemithorax. In the left flank, there is a similar but larger mass. Granular opacity in both mammary areas indicates the material used to accentuate the breasts.

Mummy of an adult man

**Arms** – Extended alongside the body, with hands placed with extended fingers in contact with the outer thighs.

**Legs** – The menisci are opaque; otherwise, the limbs are normal.

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