Gold-Covered Mummy Found, And It's the Oldest Ever Discovered

Bright Side

Did you hear about the latest discoveries at the Tombs of Saqqara in Egypt? Archaeologists just found a 4,300-year-old mummy named Hekashepes covered in gold leaf, buried in a sealed stone sarcophagus at the bottom of a 33-foot shaft. It’s such an exciting find in the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis! Let’s dive into this discovery and chat about all the fascinating things we've uncovered in mummies so far. From intricate burial practices to hidden treasures, these ancient remains have so many stories to tell!  Credit: Xin Zhui: By Flazaza, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77080259 Animation is created by Bright Side.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00Egyptian archaeologists made an extraordinary discovery near Cairo just recently.

00:05Drumroll, please!

00:07The most ancient and most complete mummy yet discovered in the country.

00:11Yes, they were keeping it under wraps.

00:14The 4,300-year-old mummy was found in a group of tombs close to the steppe pyramid of Djoser

00:20dating back to the Egyptian Old Kingdom.

00:23It was covered in layers of gold.

00:25The team also found several other tombs, including one belonging to an ancient Egyptian

00:30official and another belonging to a secret keeper who had the power to perform special

00:35ceremonies.

00:36Another interesting tomb was that of a writer, which featured the largest statues ever found

00:41in the area.

00:42This vast burial site is also home to more than a dozen pyramids and resting grounds.

00:48Probably one of the most famous mummies in the world is that of Hatshepsut.

00:52She ruled Egypt like a boss for around 20 years, building all sorts of impressive buildings

00:57and creating new trade routes.

01:00But when archaeologist Howard Carter found her tomb in the Valley of the Kings, her sarcophagus

01:05was empty.

01:06However, Carter did find two coffins in another tomb, one of which belonged to Hatshepsut's

01:12wet nurse and the other to an unknown woman.

01:15In 2006, a team of specialists decided to investigate whether that mysterious lady was

01:21the queen herself.

01:22They found a molar tooth in a wooden box with Hatshepsut's name on it, and when they compared

01:28it to a gap in the mummy's mouth, it was a perfect match.

01:32Ramses II was a pretty impressive ruler, but it was his mummy that eventually made history.

01:38We don't hear too much about his daddy.

01:40Okay, I'll stop.

01:42Ramses is considered to be the most powerful pharaoh in all of Egypt, as he reigned for

01:47a whopping 6 decades.

01:49He also lived to be over 90 years old.

01:51That's pretty amazing, considering the time he lived in.

01:54Ramses II supposedly had over 100 offspring, too.

01:59Talk about a big family!

02:00When he passed away, his body was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings.

02:05But some sneaky guys tried to rob his tomb of all his treasures.

02:09Officials back in the day weren't having any of that, though, so they moved his body

02:13to a secret location to keep it safe.

02:16Fast forward to the 1800s, and Ramses II's mummy was discovered, along with a bunch of

02:22other rulers and important officials.

02:24But it wasn't in the best condition, so archaeologists flew it to Paris to get it,

02:30well, pampered.

02:31Problem was, he couldn't just be transported into another country.

02:36The only solution available was to give Ramses II his own passport.

02:41His occupation was listed as king, and the document even featured his photo.

02:46You know, most mummies aren't necessarily known for having the most hydrated skin.

02:51But that of an ancient woman, also known as Lady Di, proves otherwise.

02:56No, not that Lady Di.

02:58This wealthy lady from ancient times was discovered in an ornate tomb in 1971, and she looked

03:04fabulous if we can say so about a mummy.

03:08Thanks to the special conditions in her tomb, like the moisture in the environment and the

03:12lack of oxygen, her body was almost perfectly preserved.

03:15Her skin was soft, her hair was on point, and she was still flexible.

03:20The museum that now proudly displays her mummy also shows a ton of fancy items that were

03:25buried with her, like dinnerware and musical instruments.

03:30Archaeologists investigated the mummy further and discovered that she passed away from a

03:34heart attack at around 50 years old.

03:37Even though it hasn't been around for over 2,000 years, Lady Di is still making history.

03:44The mummy of Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in the Alps in 1991.

03:49Austrian authorities initially thought he was a modern mountaineer because he was so

03:53well-preserved.

03:54Turns out, he was actually from the Copper Age.

03:58He was found in a mountain pass over 10,000 feet above sea level.

04:02Through studying his mummy, we've learned so much about life in Copper Age Europe.

04:07For example, we know that he was a native of Central Europe and enjoyed eating meat.

04:12He also suffered from arthritis, narrowing arteries, and intestinal problems.

04:17But he likely used acupuncture and medicinal herbs to treat these conditions.

04:22And apparently, he was pretty handy with tools.

04:25He sharpened them just days before his untimely demise.

04:29Who knows if he was expecting trouble or just getting ready for some routine work.

04:36King Tut in his story is most likely the one that made all mummies famous.

04:41This pharaoh passed away at the young age of 19, more than 3,000 years ago.

04:46But his mummy is still one of the most well-known in the world.

04:50When his tomb was opened in 1922, people went wild because it was still intact, unlike many

04:56other royal tombs.

04:57It had some seriously blinged-out coffins, including one made of solid gold.

05:03Not only did Tut's tomb give us a glimpse into ancient Egyptian history, but his mummy

05:07also taught us a lot about the time he lived in.

05:11DNA analysis helped identify his parents and revealed that the pharaoh had a rare bone

05:16disorder that might've made walking a bit tough.

05:21Ginger is most likely one of the coolest mummies you'll ever hear about.

05:25He's like a time traveler from 5,000 years ago who's still looking fly with his golden

05:30hair and perfectly preserved nails.

05:33Ginger was discovered in Egypt and is believed to be the earliest known mummified body.

05:39Before people even knew about mummification, they used to place bodies in shallow graves

05:44in the hot dry sand.

05:46And since the sand absorbed all the water, bacteria couldn't reproduce, and the body

05:50was preserved naturally.

05:52Now scientists are not sure if Ginger's preservation was intentional or not.

05:57But since he was buried with some pottery vessels, it's likely that whoever buried

06:01him knew some serious preservation techniques.

06:04If you want to meet Ginger in person, he's currently chilling at the British Museum.

06:10One Dutch art collector bought a statue from Asia and ended up finding a weird discovery.

06:15The statue contained a mummy hidden inside.

06:19Unfortunately, the body was too fragile to move, so they had to leave it there.

06:24The coolest part is that this mummy is over a thousand years old and was on display for

06:28200 years before being encased in the statue.

06:32When scientists did a CT scan, they found out that the mummy was filled with paper scraps

06:37covered in writings.

06:39Experts think he might have done this thing called self-mummification, which is a pretty

06:43intense process involving a special diet and tea that makes your body less prone to bacteria.

06:50Only a few people could handle this ritual, and those who managed to do that were seriously

06:55respected.

06:56No other Egyptian queen has baffled scientists and historians like the stunning Nefertiti.

07:03Based on her statues, she was known for her slender neck, wide eyes, and high cheekbones.

07:08Her name translates to the beautiful woman has come.

07:12Talk about living up to your name, huh?

07:14Even though she wasn't a pharaoh herself, Nefertiti still managed to leave a lasting

07:19impression.

07:20Written records suggest that, as a wife and queen, she held an incredibly influential

07:25role.

07:26Because of her power, she was indeed admired, but she also managed to make quite a lot of

07:31enemies throughout her life.

07:33She was also related to King Tut, but not biologically.

07:37Rather, she was his stepmother.

07:40So far, locals have yet to identify her mummy, but that may soon change.

07:44A local Egyptologist who has been busy excavating tombs in the Valley of the Kings has found

07:50two mummies that he believes could be Nefertiti and her daughter.

07:55According to specialists, we may soon finally get a definitive answer about the identity

07:59of these two mummies.

08:01And if one of them does turn out to be Nefertiti, we could be in for a real treat.

08:06DNA analysis and CT scans of the mummy could give us the most complete and accurate image

08:12of the queen that we've ever seen.

08:14It's crazy to think that we've only scratched the surface of what lies beneath modern-day

08:18Egypt.

08:20Nefertiti ruled during a time of great power and prosperity in Egypt, but unfortunately

08:25passed away in a period of social turmoil, leading to her gravesite being lost.

08:31Now, where's my mummy?

08:34That's it for today!

08:36So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your

08:40friends.

08:41Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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