The case had dumbfounded acamdenics for decades, that the mummy of Takabuti could look so peaceful yet so damaged was a mystery. Now, following a recent state-of-the-art testing process, it appears that Takabuti was brutally killed by being stabbed in the back. Scans and forensic testing has provided an abundance of new information about the mummy, which was brought to Belfast in 1835. Of this, the revelation that she is more genetically similar to a European than a modern Egyptian. The findings were announced and made public on the 185th anniversary of her unwrapping. The study is hugely significant, Professor Rosalie David, an Egyptologist from the University of Manchester said, as it adds to existing understanding of Takabuti and the time in which she lived. She said: “The surprising and important discovery of her European heritage throws some fascinating light on a significant turning-point in Egypt's history. "This study, which used cutting-edge scientific analysis of an ancient Egyptian mummy, demonstrates how new information can be revealed thousands of years after death. "Our team - drawn from institutions and specialisms - was in a unique position to provide the necessary expertise and technology for such a wide-ranging study." Relatively little is known about Takabuti, her being brought to Belfast by Thomas Greg of Ballymenoch House, who bought her mummified remains after the Napoleonic wars. JUST IN: Archaeology news: Witch’s bottle found in US Civil War fort She was a married woman who, on her death, was somewhere between twenty and thirty-years-old, and lived city of Thebes at the end of the twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt. Her father was a priest in the Temple of Amun, Karnak, and her mother, Tasenirit, a house mistress - her mother thought to be of European or Caucasian descent. This detail is yet to be cleared, however, with it impossible to say whether Takabuti was a foreigner in Egypt and had come from another region. Professor Eileen Murphy, a bioarchaeologist from Queen's University in Belfast, described the results as "astounding". DON'T MISS Scientists blown away by ancient volcanic eruption discovery
How ‘most important find of century’ exposed Bronze Age space advance
Stonehenge: Why bizarre find is key to 'unlocking enigma' She said: "It is frequently commented that she looks very peaceful lying within her coffin but now we know that her final moments were anything but and that she died at the hand of another." In 2009, a BBC documentary followed scientists attempts to digitally recreate what Takabuti may have looked like. In the process, they picked up on an unknown object inside of her body that was thought to be her heart. But, with the recent round of analyses, it has been discovered that it was in fact material used to plug the wound in which the knife plunged through. Her heart was eventually found, in tact and perfectly preserved as a result of the mummification process. Takabuti also had certain quirks about her: she had an extra tooth - 33 instead of 32 - happening only in 0.02 per cent of the population, also having an extra vertebra, which occurs in just 2 per cent of the population. Dr Greer Ramsey, curator of archaeology at National Museums NI, said advances in scientific techniques made the new findings possible. He explained: "In recent years she has undergone x-rays, CT scans, hair analysis and radio carbon dating. "The latest tests include DNA analysis and further interpretations of CT scans which provides us with new and much more detailed information." He added: "The significance of confirming Takabuti's heart is present cannot be underestimated as in ancient Egypt this organ was removed in the afterlife and weighed to decide whether or not the person had led a good life. "If it was too heavy it was eaten by the demon Ammit and your journey to the afterlife would fail." Since being unravelled under the supervision of the leading Egyptologist of the time, Edward Hincks, Takabuti has been the star attraction for visitors at Ulster Museum for nearly 200 years.
Source link
Read the full article
