Saed News: Polish scientists working on a collection of ancient Egyptian mummies have discovered that several of them are women, and among them, they found a pregnant woman.
According to the history service of Saad News, citing Hamshahri Online and Business Insider, scientists involved in the "Warsaw Mummy Project," which analyzes these ancient Egyptian mummies, say that no one had ever found a fetus inside a mummified body until now.
Wojciech Smond, one of the scientists, said it seemed strange that a pregnant mummy had never been discovered before. This is because women of childbearing age, although not always pregnant, at least get pregnant every few years. Therefore, it is surprising that no mummified body containing a fetus had been identified until now.
According to Smond, the reason for this might be that the fetal skeleton, which is the usual method of identifying a developing fetus inside a mummified body, does not show up in typical X-ray imaging. These scientists used an imaging technology that does not focus on bones.
The cross-sectional image of the mummified body shows soft tissue (in red) that was identified as a fetus.
Smond says, "Radiologists look for bones, and as our case shows, this shouldn't be the approach. In such cases, one should look for soft tissue with a unique shape."
The researchers have presented a hypothesis in a letter to the Journal of Archaeological Research explaining why fetuses are not seen in typical X-rays of mummies.
They explain that during the decomposition of the body, acidification naturally occurs. Formic acid appears in the blood, making the body more acidic. The fetal skeleton inside the body dissolves in this acidic environment, and the minerals dissolve in the liquids and exit the womb.
A 3D reconstruction image scan of the mummy shows the soft tissue thought to be the fetus inside.
Therefore, the small fetal body becomes almost invisible in typical X-ray imaging, as there is no bone or mineral material for this type of imaging to detect.
The question arises as to why the bones of the mother's body do not dissolve in the same way. The scientists' theory is that during mummification, the corpse is covered with natron or alkaline salts to dry out the body. This drying process prevents the minerals from the mother's bones from leaching out, allowing the bones to still be visible in X-ray imaging.
The researchers say that although the mummified body they identified is the only known pregnant mummy, further studies may uncover more pregnant mummies.
