Ancient Egyptian teenage mummy buried 3,600 years ago found with bridal clothes and jewellery intact
AN ANCIENT Egyptian teenage girl has been found buried with her ‘bridal jewellery’.
The treasures buried with the mummy in the 3,600 year old coffin are thought to be a dowry of expensive items that would have been gifted with a bride at a wedding.
The coffin was uncovered during a project involving a Spanish teamCredit: CSIC
The fascinating discovery was made by a Spanish team working at a necropolis in Luxor, Egypt.
The team, from the Djehuty Project, found the coffin on a hill called Dra Abu el-Naga.
In ancient times this would have been in the city of Thebes, the capital of Egypt in the Middle and New Kingdom periods.
The wooden coffin was discovered in an impressively well-preserved state and some of its white paint was still intact.
This jewellery was found with the mummyCredit: CSIC
Inside the coffin was a bejewelled mummy of a girl who died around the age of 15 or 16.
She was around 5 feet 1 inch (1.59 m) tall.
Her coffin turned out to be a small treasure trove of valuable items, which experts have connected to a potential marriage scenario.
Some reports also suggest there were bridal clothes inside the coffin.
Archaeologists found two earrings, two rings and four necklaces with the mummy.
The young girl was wearing one ring on each finger and a pair of earrings.
The coffin was painted whiteCredit: CSIC
The other jewellery items she has thought to have collected in preparation for marriage were placed on her chest.
This included necklaces made of glossy ceramic beads and 75 precious stones.
One of the necklaces contained 75 precious stonesCredit: CSIC
Archaeologists also found a tiny clay coffin nearby.
The coffin containing the young girl appears to have been abandoned.
It’s possible it was left there by grave robbers.
An abode chapel and other burials with an unusually high proportion being children or young women were found around the same area.
This miniature coffin was found nearbyCredit: CSIC