Cairo - Hazem Badr

Since the beginning of the archeological excavations in the region in 2014, archeologists discovered 30 mummies inside 23 cemeteries dating back to different eras in the Agha Khan area, Aswan, last week. One of the mummies has an unfamiliar state.

The mummy was intact and wrapped with linens, but, the coffin in which it was placed and the cemetery accommodating the coffin didn't feature any engraves that determine its identity. The mummy, which dates back to the late period of ancient Egypt has been classified as "unknown."

The lack of information that may help in proceeding DNA tests and comparing them with other mummies' DNA makes it almost impossible to reach data determining the identity of the mummy. But, according to Director General of Aswan Antiquities Abdel Moneim Saeed, scientists will be able to gather information that at least precise the class to which the mummy belongs, its work, and whether it had diseases or not.

Saeed told Asharq Al-Awsat: "once discovered, the mummy was moved to the study lab at Aswan Museum, and then it will be moved into Aswan University Hospital to undergo a CT scan that helps us gather more data within six months."

This is not the first time scientists rely on CT scans in their studies on mummies. In February 2017, CT scans were used to examine four mummies discovered at the nobles' cemeteries in Aswan by the archeological mission of the University of Jaén, aiming at detecting the disease history of the mummies, and analyzing the scientific and medical advancement that had been achieved by the ancient Egyptians in diagnosing and treating diseases. The scan took place after detecting clear symptoms of breast cancer in one of the mummies.

Saeed says: "these scans provided us with a great result. It showed that the lady (mummy) took a treatment that helped her survive for a long time," noting that after moving the mummy to the hospital for further tests, they will likely need six months before they announce their findings on the mummy.