The coffins of high-status ancient Egyptian Sennejem and one of his wives have been carefully opened at a museum in Egypt.
The sarcophagi were uncovered in the hope of revealing the mysteries inside, and perhaps shedding light on the Curse of the Pharaohs, supposedly unleashed on anyone who disturbs an Ancient Egyptian mummy, will be triggered.
Sennejem was a skilled worker who oversaw other workers that lived in the Deir Al-Medina necropolis in Luxor and worked on the Valley of the KingsCredit: Reuters
Sennejem was a skilled worker and Egyptian official who was buried in the workers’ village of Set Maat in modern-day Deir Al-Medina alongside his family.
He lived during the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II of the 19th Dynasty, around 3,400 years ago.
He was known as a “Servant in the Place of Truth” and oversaw other workers building the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
His tomb was discovered in 1886, where he was found buried with his wife Iynefereti, more than 20 other relatives, and some of his belongings, including his bed and a stool.
Sennejem’s painted sarcophagus is in a good condition.
Skilled experts carefully removed Sennejem from his sarcophagus. Credit: EPA
Sennejem received the same top-quality mummification process as many pharaohs. Credit: Reuters
Sennejem’s sarcophagus and that of his wife have just been moved to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where they were carefully unpacked in a mummification tent ready for restoration. Skilled restorers conducted the unpacking process like a medical procedure.
The painted sarcophagi are being stored in very good condition.
They were previously displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in Cairo. The mummies are being prepared for display in a new exhibition hall, which opens in December.
Sennejem and his wife will be placed in a sterilization chamber for over 20 days and cooled, spending at least a month undergoing a process that will remove any insects from them.
Sennejem lived around 3,400 years ago. Credit: AFP or licensors.
Both mummies will be part of a new exhibition in.
The unpacking was like a medical procedure. Credit: EPA
The mummies are being carefully unpacked and studied in the name of research conducted by skilled experts who are hopefully not superstitious.
The curse of the pharaohs is an alleged curse that some people believe will affect anyone who disturbs mummified remains of an Ancient Egyptian person.
The mummies were shown to the press after the careful procedure to remove them from their sarcophagi. Credit: EPA
This supposed curse is not said to differentiate between archaeologists and thieves and is said to cause bad luck, illness, or even death.
It is often connected to King Tutankhamun and the people who died after opening his tomb.
The restoration process will take months. Credit: EPA
The mummies will be sterilized and fumigated to kill any insects that might be inside them. Credit: Reuters
In another archaeological news, an ancient mass grave filled with the battered bodies of 26 adults and children may be evidence of the world’s first war crime.
Neanderthals could have died out due to a common childhood illness.
And, Tutankhamun’s “curse” gold sarcophagus has been pictured outside the boy king’s tomb for the first time ever.