11/02/2025
Mummy Research Center
𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞-𝐭𝐨-𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐠𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬
An international team of scientists from the Warsaw Mummy Project, led by Marzena Ożarek-Szilke and Wojciech Ejsmond, has just published an article in the 𝐽𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒: 𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠 regarding the facial reconstruction of an unusual Egyptian mummy exhibited at the National Museum in Warsaw, known as the Mysterious Lady. In 2021, the whole world heard about this mummy. Radiological analyses (X-rays and CT scans) revealed that the mummy was not a priest, as previously thought, but a woman of about 28 years old who died in the 7th month of pregnancy.
Research on Egyptian mummies from the National Museum in Warsaw has been conducted since 2015. It was then that the entire collection of human and animal mummies was X-rayed for the first time in the world at the Affidea clinic near Warsaw. Scientists from Poland, Italy, and France take part in the Warsaw Mummy Project. Currently, the Warsaw Mummy Project operates in cooperation with the International Mummy Research Center Foundation, which performs analyses, consultations, and high-quality visualizations of X-ray images, thanks to which we can learn even more about people and animals from millennia ago.
Facial reconstruction is a method commonly used in criminology. Our skulls have distinctive features that affect the soft tissues that make up our faces. Our appearance is also influenced by physical activity, diseases, or injuries (e.g., stroke, paralysis) because bones are alive and respond to tension or muscle tissue development. The soft tissue thicknesses used in reconstructions are based on statistical data. The final results are therefore always an approximation, not an exact representation of the person's appearance. Nevertheless, such a portrait can make it possible to recognize a person.
The author of the reconstruction is the well-known Italian forensic anthropologist Dr. Chantal Milani, who has performed, among other things, reconstructions of the faces of Dante Alighieri and Raphael Santi, as well as several Egyptian mummies studied by Italian scientists.
A key question in facial reconstruction is: if different populations on Earth have different soft tissue thicknesses on the face, what dataset should be used for the ancient Egyptians? Over the last thousands of years, migrations have taken place that have affected the genetics and therefore the appearance of the Egyptians.
Researchers from the Warsaw Mummy Project decided to compare two different sets of data to analyze how they affect the final result of such a reconstruction. The first set consists of measurements of the contemporary Egyptian population, and the second is based on research of contemporary inhabitants of Belgium. The juxtaposition of the two reconstructions did not show any major differences.
In addition, historical statistical data on the appearance of Egyptians were considered. In ancient times, as today, it was necessary to confirm the identity of the people signing documents. Today we use, for example, an ID card. The ancient Egyptians described their appearance, and those documents were taken into account while making reconstructions. Until now, this valuable source was not used in the reconstruction of the faces of the ancient Egyptians. It provides statistical data on eye colors, hair, injuries, face shape, etc. Descriptions show that most of the inhabitants of Egypt had a "honey" skin color, as the documents describe it. Occasionally, there were also people with black skin.
Finally, the researchers compared the reconstructed approximations of the facial appearance with the results of a virtual autopsy, i.e., digital unwrapping of the bandaged embalmed body. The latter, in the case of Egyptian mummies, can be particularly difficult because the body was covered with various embalming substances that penetrated the skin, creating layers of similar radiological density compared to human tissues.
The face has been an important aspect of humanity for thousands of years. This research sheds new light on what the ancient Egyptians may have looked like, showing the challenges and opportunities of reconstructing their faces using modern technologies.
The article discusses particularly important ethical issues, namely how to exhibit human remains in museums. How can museum visitors understand that they are looking at people who lived, felt, loved, and were loved thousands of years ago, and not dehumanized curiosities in showcases?
Facial reconstructions can play an important role in promoting knowledge about ancient societies, but above all, they restore the identity of the dead. After all, when we think about people like historical figures, we tend to imagine how they looked like.
You can find our research paper here:
https://kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fauthors.elsevier.com%2Fa%2F1kaz2,rVDBnN6a/1/01020194f2657788-677ee59c-8ffe-4cc0-b00e-75c03f247cc2-000000/7VkB8nHmtgx3ewK9voMd2eWHBhc=412
Pics for the press in the Photo Gallery.
Our webpage: https://www.mummyresearch.center/
The research was possible thanks to our patrons and friends:
Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie
Uniwersytet Warszawski
Leydo Film
Affidea Polska
Grey Global Group
Grey Poland
Reikon
Elsevier Elsevier Polska
