The mummy belongs to a boy of the ancient Egyptian elite and died 2,300 years ago at the age of 14
The face of an ancient Egyptian mummy with an unusually large brain has been revealed for the first time in 2,300 years, as scientists succeeded in reconstructing the face.
The mummy belongs to a boy of the ancient Egyptian elite and died 2,300 years ago at the age of 14.
Minirdis was the scion of a holy family and, before his death, was appointed to inherit the work of his father, Inarus, priest of the Egyptian fertility god, Min.
But he died around 14 and his mummified remains were buried in the Akhmim cemetery in Upper Egypt, where they were found in 1925.
Scientists trying to reconstruct his face have diagnosed that the teenager died of a rare medical condition.
Cicero Moraes, lead author of the study, says Minirdis had megalencephaly, a disorder characterized by an abnormally large brain.
In particular, he said that “something bothered me about the structure, and when we were studying the skull volume values, we were struck by its size. I noticed that the coffin seems to be for a person older than the mummy, but even so, the head occupies almost its entire length.’
“Therefore, the death mask had been rotated, otherwise it would not have been possible to close the coffin. A skull can be considered megacephalic if the head circumference is more than 2.5 standard deviations for the individual’s age and sex. In this case, head circumference and brain volume are three standard deviations higher.”
The presentation of Minirdi was rebuilt using a digitized model of his skullto which soft tissue was added, with the process taking into account data from living people, including the relevant age group.
Moraes, a Brazilian graphics expert, said that “he is a young and innocent person. Eyes from thousands of years ago observe the people of the present seeking answers to their past.”
The names of his mummy and father are known from an inscription on the coffin, and scientists believe his life was full of material and spiritual abundance, since his father was part of the religious elite.
Despite his diagnosis, however, the cause of his death remains a mystery although megaencephaly can be benign but can also cause developmental delays, intellectual disability, seizures and even paralysis.
Source :Skai
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