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The mummy of a 3,500-year-old Egyptian girl wearing a wedding dress full of treasures baffles archaeologists because she was almost exposed to the ground

The mummy of an Egyptian girl wearing a wedding dress full of jewels confused archaeologists because she appeared almost exposed on the ground, in a coffin that was too simple compared to what was inside.

A team of Spanish scientists from the Djehuty Project accidentally discovered a special mummy when excavating a hill named Dra Abu el-Naga, near Luxor (Egypt).

Djehuty was a high official under the Egyptian queen Hatshepsut (1508-1458 BC) who was in charge of the treasury and public process. The mummy of a mysterious girl had accidentally appeared in the courtyard of the chapel that was built for him.

The girl wearing a wedding dress appeared in an almost exposed position in the chapel courtyard – photo: CSIC

The 3,500-year-old girl lies in a white painted coffin, estimated to be 15-16 years old, 1.59 m tall. She lies under many treasures, which, according to preliminary research, the archaeological team believes is a wedding dress, richly decorated.



The teenage bride wears a pair of earrings, a ring and four necklaces on each finger, mostly carefully arranged on her chest: they are made of glossy blue ceramic – the legendary blue color of the soles. Egyptian artifacts, shards of green glass and dozens of gems of all kinds. With the civilization of that period, these are extremely valuable jewelry. 

According to archaeologist Jose Manual Galan from the Council for Advanced Scientific Research (CSIC – Spain), they initially found the girl in a confusing state: almost lying on the ground, in a coffin. Simple white paint.

The mummy of the maiden and the remembrance were very valuable at that time

According to the initial assessment, it is possible that the mummy of a young girl was brought out by a grave thief from a certain crypt, and then left behind while fleeing. The coffin was completely unopened until the team used radiography and discovered the mummy full of treasures inside.



 

However, even so, the fact that a gorgeously dressed girl was buried in such a simple coffin is still difficult to explain. When excavating around, scientists felt even more surprised when there were many women and children buried around.

Ancient Egyptian women’s clothing. Illustration

Currently, the teenage bride as well as other mummies that have just been identified in the area are still being studied further, because what is found about this scene is completely strange compared to previous knowledge.